Szymon Hołownia announced that he will not run for the position of leader of Polska 2050 – the party he himself founded. This comes at a time when the movement is struggling with a drastic drop in support.
Saturday’s press conference following the meeting of the National Council of Polska 2050 will go down in history as the moment when Hołownia decided to “pass the baton in the relay“. The two-time presidential candidate and current (though not for long) Speaker of the Sejm announced an important decision.
“The right moment has come”
“I founded this organization, I gave it everything I could and everything I knew how to give, and I will continue to give in the scope that is necessary. But the role of a leader is also to say at some point. I am passing the baton in the relay. I believe that moment has come for me and for the organization,” said Hołownia during the conference.
It is hard to resist the impression that this decision is not accidental – especially in the context of the dramatic situation the party now faces. Polska 2050 is going through the worst period in its short history. The polls are merciless – support for the movement is hovering at around 1 percent. This is a level that calls into question not only its presence in the next parliament, but the party’s very future.
The crisis also affects Hołownia himself. In November, a rotation will take place in the office of the Speaker of the Sejm, and the current Speaker will lose his position to Włodzimierz Czarzasty. Hołownia can at best count on a deputy speaker role, a position that – as was announced today – he intends to seek.
The election of a new leader of Polska 2050 will take place in January. Hołownia does not hide that he hopes his colleagues will choose a leader who will “responsibly and efficiently lead Polska 2050 to victory in 2027.” Considering the polls, however, this sounds more like a pious wish than a realistic prospect.