The District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw has officially dropped the investigation into alleged irregularities during Poland 2050’s internal leadership elections, concluding that the system functioned correctly and no cyberattack occurred.
Background of the Internal Ballot
Following Szymon Hołownia’s announcement in September 2025 that he would not seek re-election as party leader, Poland 2050 initiated an internal electronic vote. In early January, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz and Paulina Hennig-Kloska advanced to a runoff election after receiving the highest number of votes.
Allegations of External Interference
The party subsequently invalidated the election, claiming a “high probability of external interference.” Officials cited a discrepancy where the number of votes recorded significantly exceeded the number of party members eligible to participate, leading the party to report the incident to the District Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutor’s Findings on System Integrity
The investigation confirmed that access to the online survey was blocked on January 12 at approximately 9:00 PM because the 1,000-visit limit was reached, despite there being only about 700 eligible voters. Investigators determined the system was not hacked and that the traffic limit was exhausted by unauthorized attempts to access the form via a link shared on social media.
Exclusion of Malicious Cyberactivity
Prosecutors explicitly ruled out mass bot activity or coordinated cyberattacks. They concluded that the system functioned as intended, noting that the access limit counter was triggered by the total number of requests to the form, including those made without the required security tokens.
Party Split and Political Fallout
Following the controversy, a second vote in late January resulted in a victory for Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz. Shortly thereafter, a faction led by Paulina Hennig-Kloska departed to form the Centrum parliamentary club, while Szymon Hołownia’s party was renamed Poland 2050 of the Republic of Poland.