It is encouraging that the uncomfortable spectacle surrounding PiS has ended; after the elections, despite their edge, they did not seem prepared to continue governing in Małopolska, remarked PSL President Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, in response to Łukasz Smółka (PiS) being elected Marshal of Małopolska.
During Thursday’s extraordinary session of the regional council, the current deputy marshal, Łukasz Smółka (PiS), secured the post of marshal of Małopolska. He received the backing of 22 councillors, with 17 voting against. The Thursday vote marked the sixth attempt to appoint the voivodeship’s marshal.
Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters in Krakow that “it is good that the shameful spectacle of PiS is over.”
He added that the new authorities of the voivodeship deserve good fortune, noting that PiS was not ready to sustain power. Even with an electoral edge, they failed to form a government prior to the elections, taking multiple weeks to decide. That, he suggested, signals a deeper political crisis.
– “Now PiS will probably govern for the next five to ten years”, – Kosiniak-Kamysz stated.
As a Małopolska resident, he extended best wishes to the region.
“We will prepare for the next elections. Małopolska was under our administration for twelve years; PiS is forecast to rule the region for the next five or ten years, and voters will decide then. That is normal,”
– Kosiniak-Kamysz concluded.
At the close of the session, Barbara Nowak (PiS) announced her resignation as a councilor in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.
Before Smółka, PiS’s candidate for voivodeship marshal was MP Łukasz Kmita, handpicked by President Jarosław Kaczyński. He failed to secure the minimum 20 votes needed to assume the marshal’s office on five occasions, despite PiS holding a majority in the Małopolska Assembly. His opponents, voivode Krzysztof Jan Klęczar (PSL) and Piotr Ćwik (PiS), also missed the required majority.
Dispute over the appointment of ambassadors
Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz argued that the dispute over ambassador appointments is unnecessary and that the presidential palace should take a cooperative stance. He suggested that a joint flight with President Andrzej Duda to the NATO summit could provide an opportunity to discuss ambassadors.
According to Gazeta Wyborcza, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (PiS) pressed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to reject the Polish ambassador designate to Rome, Ryszard Schnepf. In an interview on TVN24, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski confirmed that the report was accurate to the best of his knowledge.
Kosiniak-Kamysz mentioned in Krakow that the possible joint trip of government members and President Andrzej Duda to Washington for the NATO summit could serve as a chance to address ambassador matters.
“Perhaps that will lead to consensus on certain diplomatic issues and representation of Poland abroad,”
stated the Minister of National Defense.
He emphasized the importance of finding common ground in representing Poland internationally. He urged avoiding needless quarrels and advocated for keeping the presidential palace open to nominations. The government asserts the right to field its own representatives, arguing that denying this right would be harmful.
The ongoing rift between the Foreign Ministry and the president over ambassadors has persisted since March. The ministry announced that Minister Sikorski planned to end the tenure of more than fifty ambassadors and withdraw several previously submitted candidates. The Foreign Ministry also expressed hope for cooperative engagement from the country’s top authorities on this issue.
Under the law, an ambassador is appointed and dismissed by the president. The president’s adviser, Marcin Mastalerek, noted at the time that Andrzej Duda did not agree with a broad recall of ambassadors without clear reasons.
In early June, the president told Telewizja Republika that staffing of diplomatic missions is being carried out using methods associated with the worst-known services. He added that these practices have persisted since Radosław Sikorski led the Foreign Ministry. Duda also stated that, while in office, he would not sign the nomination of Bogdan Klich as ambassador to the US, and he would not sign the nomination of Ryszard Schnepf or other Conference of Ambassadors members while he remains president.
As observed, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz critiques both PiS and the president’s actions. It would be prudent to focus on governance in the Ministry of National Defense and to address the recent communications from that ministry about potential budget cuts, which suggest there is room for improvement in that department.
tkwl/PAP
READ ALSO:
— A new candidate instead of Kmita. Łukasz Smółka of PiS elected Marshal of the Voivodeship. Little Poland! “We are united”
— Smółka is the marshal. Gliński, Szydło and Wassermann comment. “Jarosław Kaczyński defeated Donald Tusk in MałoPOLSKA”