Poland 2050’s National Council meeting ended without decision as members walked out amid dispute over election process.
The Dispute and Meeting Outcome
After several hours of heated debate, the meeting concluded without a decision. Some members left the meeting early in protest of the proceedings. “There is a complete split and serious crisis in the National Council,” said one party member.
The Council will reconvene on Monday at 18:00 to make a final decision. The Council consists of the party’s leadership, ministers, regional delegates, and several representatives of the parliamentary club.
Election Process Dispute
Those arguing to invalidate the entire electoral process claimed that irregularities also occurred in the first round. According to our findings, in several cases, emails with links to the survey were sent to people who were not eligible to vote.
Delegates wanting a repeat of only the second round, meanwhile, reminded that despite objections, the party’s election commission had declared the first round valid, making new elections unjustified.
Szymon Hołownia’s Role
The main advocate for invalidating the entire electoral process was Szymon Hołownia, who, according to TVN24 journalist Patryk Michalski, left the meeting angry and logged out shortly after 23:00. During the meeting, the former marshal also stated that he sees no place for himself in Poland 2050, which would be managed by Paulina Hennig-Kloska or Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, and threatened to leave the party in such a situation. Some participants assessed that Hołownia had engaged in “emotional blackmail”.
Coalition Building
In recent days, Hołownia had been building a coalition in the leadership supporting the plan to re-run the entire electoral process. Such a decision by the National Council would ensure his ability to run. On the side of the current chair, Paweł Śliz and Adriana Porowska were said to support this solution. “People of Katarzyna [Pełczyńska-Nałęcz] support this solution because for them, the start and victory of Szymon [Hołownia] means they will retain their positions and influence. Nothing will really change because the party will still be controlled by Katarzyna. Szymon seems to be blind and deaf to her mistakes,” emphasizes our informant.
Rumors of Past Resignation
In party corridors for some time, there have been voices that Hołownia had hastily decided to withdraw from the elections the first time, at the suggestion of Pełczyńska-Nałęcz. As our sources emphasize, signatures under his candidacy were collected in full and remained ready to be submitted until the last moment in case he changed his mind. This did not happen, and Paulina Hennig-Kloska and Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz advanced to the final round for the party leadership position.
Reversal After Election Failure
The situation completely reversed after the second round election failure. “The internal campaign has highly polarized our camp. After canceling the vote, Szymon said at the meeting that we must focus on a chairman who will unite us again. He didn’t say it directly, but suggested that he is the only such person,” says one member of the group.
Candidate Withdrawals
Both candidates announced they would not compete against Hołownia and would withdraw from the race if the National Council invalidates the entire electoral process and he himself decides to run. Hennig-Kloska, who had real chances of winning the second round of elections, would lose the most. “For Katarzyna, this is a safe solution because she will retain influence and continue to make decisions. One could say that in such a scenario, she will win, although officially she won’t even start,” we hear.
