On Sunday, media reports suggested that if Szymon Hołownia does not become the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, he may seek to head Poland’s embassy in the United States. “Sejm Marshal Szymon Hołownia would certainly be a better candidate for the position of Polish ambassador to the USA than the current acting ambassador, Bogdan Klich,” assessed the President of Poland.
Not long ago, Szymon Hołownia announced his intention to withdraw from Polish politics. He revealed that he had submitted an application in a public recruitment process announced by the UN Secretary-General for the position of UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Furthermore, he stated that on November 13 he will resign from his post as Marshal of the Sejm, and the election of his successor will take place on November 19. He also confirmed that he had already discussed this with Włodzimierz Czarzasty, who, according to the coalition agreement, is to serve as Marshal in the second half of the term.
Under the coalition agreement, the leader of Poland 2050 is to remain Marshal of the Sejm until November 13, after which the position will be taken over by the co-chairman of the New Left and current Deputy Marshal, starting November 14 and lasting until the end of the parliamentary term.
However, Hołownia then emphasized that certain conditions, ones not specified in the coalition agreement, would need to be met. What did he mean? He referred to the appointment of Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, the Minister for Funds and Regional Policy, to the position of Deputy Prime Minister.
Does Hołownia Have a “Plan B”?
The UN post is not guaranteed. If Szymon Hołownia is to leave the Polish political scene but does not end up in Geneva, what comes next? Gazeta Wyborcza, citing politicians from Poland 2050, reports that the party leader “has a plan B.” According to the newspaper’s findings, Hołownia is hoping for the position of Polish ambassador to the United States. The current Sejm Marshal is said to have told his associates that his candidacy would likely be well received by the Presidential Palace.
However, it is worth noting that ambassadorial candidates are nominated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Hołownia is unlikely to receive the support of Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, GW also reports.
“There’s no chance of that – Hołownia lacks the qualifications for such a post,” a source in Donald Tusk’s government told the newspaper.
On the other hand, politicians associated with President Karol Nawrocki reportedly said that they learned about Hołownia’s “plan B” from media reports.
President Nawrocki: Hołownia Would Be Better Than Klich
During a press conference in Lithuania yesterday, President Karol Nawrocki was asked whether Szymon Hołownia would make a good ambassador of Poland to the United States.
The President replied that “he would certainly be a better candidate for ambassador” than the current acting head of the mission, Bogdan Klich.
“Mr. Klich is not fulfilling his ambassadorial mission in the way that Poles, and Poland, would expect of him,” the President explained.
Bogdan Klich currently heads Poland’s embassy in Washington as chargé d’affaires. His nomination as ambassador was not approved by President Andrzej Duda. Similarly, President Nawrocki, who has repeatedly expressed support for the main directions of his predecessor’s foreign policy, has criticized the government for certain ambassadorial appointments, including that of Klich.