“Recently, we’ve seen examples of how unserious behavior or words can lead to very serious consequences,” stated Prime Minister Donald Tusk, responding to the comments made by Szymon Hołownia, who revealed that he had been approached with a proposal to carry out a coup d’état.
“On multiple occasions, I was offered, or it was suggested to me, whether I’d be willing to carry out a coup d’état,”said Sejm (lower house of parliament) Speaker Szymon Hołownia on Friday during an interview on Polsat News. He explained that the suggestions referred to blocking or delaying the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected president. The Speaker emphasized that he firmly rejected those proposals. “But you’re not going to stage a coup with me. As Speaker of the Sejm, I’m obliged to respect the will of the majority of voters,” Hołownia declared.
The politician’s words sparked a political storm. Attorney Bartosz Lewandowski, following the statement, filed a motion with the prosecutor’s office requesting that the leader of Polska 2050 (Poland 2050) be questioned. He stressed that if the motion is granted, Hołownia would have to disclose the names of those who incited him to neglect his duties and to obstruct the swearing-in of President Karol Nawrocki, as well as provide details of such acts.
“It’s a bit like dealing with children”
Prime Minister Donald Tusk attempted to downplay the Speaker’s statement. During a meeting with residents of Pabianice, he said that on his way to the event he was wondering how to comment on the talk of a “coup d’état.”
“It’s a bit like with kids on vacation,” he blurted out, then clarified that he didn’t mean to suggest Hołownia was a child.
“We’ve recently seen examples of how unserious behavior or unserious words can give rise to very serious consequences. When we send our kids off on vacation, we tell them: ‘Don’t do anything stupid, because stupid things can turn into tragedy.’ It’s exactly the same in politics,” Tusk stated.
The Prime Minister reflected on how political gestures or careless, immature, or ill-considered decisions can have serious consequences “for people and for entire countries.”
“I appeal to everyone who still cares—just as much, or at least somewhat as much as I did on the evening of October 15—to pull themselves together and to understand that politics is a serious game—due to both external and internal reasons; and that in politics, there can be no room—or as little room as possible—for showmanship, for traitors, fools, or people who lack imagination,” said the head of government.
“The main suspect”
Let us recall that Hołownia’s remarks were earlier commented on by presidential advisor Stanisław Żaryn. In his opinion, the Prime Minister is one of the “main suspects” in exerting pressure on the Speaker. He wrote this in the context of the fact that the first reports about an attempt to influence the leader of Polska 2050 coincided with a post by the head of government, in which he stated, among other things, that “it is difficult to find legal and effective ways to act in this constitutional mess.”