Two senior members of Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS) party, Mariusz Blaszczak and Waldemar Buda, have declared their intention to submit a vote of no confidence against Culture Minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz. This move comes in response to a recent public media overhaul by the government, which included the dismissal of key figures from Polish Television (TVP), Polish Radio, and the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
The government justified these actions by pointing to a resolution passed by the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, calling on the State Treasury to eliminate perceived political bias in the media, allegedly accumulated under the previous PiS government. In addition to removing existing leadership, new supervisory boards have been established, leading to the appointment of fresh management teams at media entities. The overhaul also saw the dissolution of the state-owned news channel, TVP Info.
During a press conference on Friday, Blaszczak and Buda asserted that Sienkiewicz had violated the constitution by restricting access to information and other laws, particularly the law on radio and television. They also accused him of contributing to losses incurred by State Treasury companies, allegedly taken over through an illicit special operation.
Blaszczak highlighted the shutdown of the TVP Info signal on December 19 as a move that caused financial losses and potentially resulted in criminal responsibility. Both Sienkiewicz and the newly appointed heads of the affected companies are expected to be held accountable for these alleged abuses, according to the PiS members.
“We demand political accountability in the form of the dismissal of Sienkiewicz from his post as Minister of Culture and National Heritage,” declared Blaszczak, who went on to link Sienkiewicz’s actions to what he claimed was the implementation of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s plan. Blaszczak held Tusk responsible for the perceived takeover of public media, characterizing it as a “heist.”
The PiS MPs announced that the vote of no confidence against Sienkiewicz will be submitted imminently, anticipating its consideration in accordance with the Sejm’s procedural rules during the next or subsequent sessions.