Parliamentary dispute over mayor limits
Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz resigned from her position as minister for funds and regional policy and the leadership of the centrist Poland 2050 party on Thursday. The bill to abolish two-term limits for mayors, which the Polish People’s Party proposed to allow popular local officials to seek re-election, failed narrowly after 15 MPs from the ruling coalition joined the right-wing opposition to vote against it. This resignation exposes deep fractures in the ruling alliance.
Pelczynska-Nalecz, who is not a member of parliament, celebrated the defeat of the bill. The 2018 limits were introduced to reduce corruption and cronyism by preventing local officials from becoming entrenched in power. However, the PSL argues these limits prevent effective, popular mayors from being re-elected, thereby denying voters the right to decide who they want to represent them. The Sejm rejected the proposal with 213 votes in favour and 215 votes against. Her party’s MPs split during the vote, with six voting for the bill, three against, three abstaining, and three not voting at all. "The coalition, unfortunately including a significant portion of MPs from Poland 2050, stood against the people and in favour of backroom political deals," she wrote. She added, "I am leaving Donald Tusk’s government because values are more important to me than positions." She also noted she was leaving the party in the hands of its founder, Szymon Holownia, who stepped away but then returned. "I hope that he remembers what values he came to power in the name of," she added.
Coalition instability and election pressure
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, currently on a state visit to India, responded sarcastically to the news. "I thought she’d at least call before she left," Tusk said, adding that cooperation with her had not been easy for a long time. He added that his intuition tells him her resignation will not impact the future work of the coalition. While he dismissed the decision as an "individual decision," Szymon Holownia warned that the government would lack a parliamentary majority without Poland 2050. Holownia, who leads the party’s parliamentary caucus, confirmed that the party intends to remain in the government.
| Party | Current Polling Percentage |
|---|---|
| Poland 2050 | 1% |
| Polish People’s Party (PSL) | 3% |
The political instability follows a turbulent year for Poland 2050, which began when Holownia announced his resignation in September 2025. After a failed leadership election in January 2026 due to technical voting problems, Pelczynska-Nalecz took leadership in February. Her takeover led Paulina Hennig-Kloska to exit with half of the party’s MPs to form Centrum. Both groups remain in the coalition. However, Poland 2050 struggles with 1% polling against the 5% threshold. In 2023, Poland 2050 and PSL stood together as an alliance called the Third Way, but they split in 2025 and confirmed they would not stand together again. The PSL, which has a strong presence in local politics, responded to the failed mayor bill by announcing it will now push for two-term limits for members of parliament. The right-wing opposition has long hoped to tempt PSL, the most conservative element of Tusk’s coalition, to quit the government. A report also claimed US President Donald Trump suggested to the PSL leader that the party leave Tusk’s government at the behest of the right-wing opposition.
