The first indication that Szymon Hołownia planned to establish a social movement appeared in February 2020, when he led a campaign for the 2020 presidential election. Hołownia officially announced the formation of a new movement on 30 June 2020, two days after the first round of elections, in which he was placed 3rd with a result of less than 14% of votes. The organisation was registered on 24 August 2020, and five days later it was officially introduced. According to Szymon Hołownia, 20,000 people joined the movement.
On 29 September 2020, Szymon Hołownia announced the creation of a political party associated with the movement, led by Michał Kobosko, whose registration (under the name "Poland 2050 by Szymon Hołownia") was filed with the District Court in Warsaw on 3 November 2020.
In November 2020, the party gained its first MP in the Sejm: Hanna Gill-Piątek from the Spring party. By the end of the year, the party got between 10 and 20 percent in opinion polls, which made it the third most popular party in Poland. By the end of the year, Gill-Piątek and Jacek Kozlowski became the party's Deputy Chair.
On 8 January 2021, the party gained another representative in the Sejm (Joanna Mucha) and its first Senator (Jacek Bury). Both these members initially were members of Civic Platform, which was the main party of the Civic Coalition. On the same day, members of the Elk City Council and the Elk Poviat Council, including its chair Andrzej Wiszowaty, who were members of the local party Dobro Wspólne created the Poland 2020 Local Councillors club.
In February 2021, yet another member of the Civic Coalition (Paulina Hennig-Kloska of the Modern party) joined ranks of Poland 2050 in the Sejm. This allowed the movement to create its own Sejm circle. In March, another MP joined the party, the Independent politician and famous journalist Tomasz Zimoch.
On 7 April 2021, Szymon Hołownia's Poland 2050 officially registered as a political party. Thirteen days later another member of Modern, Mirosław Suchoń, joined Poland 2050. On 20 May 2021, a former member of the government and Agreement, Wojciech Maksymowicz, joined the party and its group in Sejm, after he was accused by the government media of performing medical research using aborted fetuses. On 28 October 2021 Paweł Zalewski, an MP expelled from Civic Platform due to his conservative stances joined PL2050.
After the election in late 2023, the Third Way alliance consistently gained around 15% in opinion polls. However, its polling numbers began declining, with them only getting around 10% in 2024 and by 2025, in some polls it even failed to cross the 8% election threshold for coalitions. Hołownia was declared the TD's candidate for the 2025 presidential election, announcing his candidacy on 13 November 2024, and getting endorsed by the Polish People's Party on 14 December. A small party in the alliance, the Union of European Democrats, would endorse Rafał Trzaskowski of the Civic Coalition over Hołownia.
In the run-up to the presidential election, the Polish People's Party began distancing itself from PL2050. Ultimately, the party was severely weakened after Hołownia gained only 4.99% of the vote, greatly underperforming expectations. The Third Way alliance broke apart two weeks later on 17 June.
Following the election, election denialists, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk attempted to have Szymon Hołownia block or postpone the inauguration of Karol Nawrocki as president of Poland by calling an indefinite break during the National Assembly (the joint session of the Sejm and Senat), during Nawrocki's inauguration, after which the Marshal of the Sejm would serve as acting president. Following Hołownia's refusal of the idea, pro-government outlets like Gazeta Wyborcza accused Hołownia of treason against the Constitution.
Hołownia was further criticized by his coalition partners after a meeting with opposition leaders in Adam Bielan's house on 4 July, being accused of plotting the downfall of the coalition. Polls indicated that 66% of Poles saw the meeting negatively, and 61% believed Hołownia was considering a coalition with Law and Justice, 76% thought Hołownia's party would collapse, and that Hołownia himself reached 80% disapproval, with even 70% of supporters of his own party disapproving of him.
Hołownia's position within the party weakened, with some party members losing confidence in him, and posełs Tomasz Zimoch and Izabela Bodnar, as well as regional leader Jacek Bury, left the party. According to RMF FM, several Poland 2050 posełs began procedures to change their party affiliation to PL2050's former partner, the Polish People's Party in October 2025. On 27 September, Hołownia announced his retirement from politics and that he would step down as party leader in January. Since September 2025, the party has increasingly clashed with the governing coalition.
On 30 September, the party endorsed Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz to enter the Third Cabinet of Donald Tusk as a Deputy Prime Minister. This was controversial in the party, with many party members preferring her internal rival, Paulina Hennig-Kloska. Regardless, Pełczyńska Nałęcz narrowly won both the votes in the party's parliamentary club (getting 16 votes to 14 for Hennig-Kloska) and the National Council (22 to 19). The vote solidified the split between factions supportive of cooperation with Tusk (including Hennig-Kloska) and those seeking a confrontation with the Prime Minister (with Pełczyńska-Nałęcz). The recommendation was also not within the coalition agreement signed by PL2050 and its allies, and Hołownia presented it as a condition for his agreed upon stepping down as "Sejm Marshal in rotation" for succession by Włodzimierz Czarzasty of the New Left. In a November 2025 SW Research poll, a plurality (35.5%) of respondents did not want Poland 2050 to have a deputy Prime Minister, whereas 23.6% believed the party should have one in the government.
Hołownia was replaced by Czarzasty as Marshal of the Sejm on 18 November 2025, with Hołownia becoming a deputy Marshal.
On 27 September 2025, Hołownia announced that he would step down as party leader in January 2026, when the next leadership election would happen, and applied for the role of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. An SW Research poll showed that 45.3% of Poles were against Hołownia's efforts for the UN position, while 17.6% were in favor. According to Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, the party will remove the "Szymon Hołownia's" suffix from the party name after a change in the leadership. After a controversial and polarizing election period, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz narrowly defeated Paulina Hennig-Kloska for the position, earning 53% of the vote.
On 3 February, Pełczyńska-Nałęcz appointed Ewa Schädler and Adam Rudawski as the party's vice-chairs, Łukasz Osmalak as treasurer and Robert Sitnik as general secretary. Afterwards, Hennig-Kloska, Kasprzyk, Ćwik and Hołownia were elected by the party as the other vice-chairs of the party to sit on the National Board. Pełczyńska-Nałęcz declared that the party would be heading to present itself as a "party of clear centrism" and as a "middle class party". TOK FM speculated that Pełczyńska-Nałęcz could try to shift the party to forge an electoral alliance with the left-wing Razem for the upcoming parliamentary election.
Under Pełczyńska-Nałęcz (2026)
Pełczyńska-Nałęcz's assumption of the party leadership did not stop the crisis within the party. On 11 February, 18 of the party's 31 posełs signed onto a demand for structural changes within the parliamentary club. The Polish Press Agency reported several posełs were ready to leave the parliamentary club altogether, listing Paweł Zalewski, Ryszard Petru, Joanna Mucha, Aleksandra Leo and Ewa Szymanowska.
Under her tenure, the party formally fractured: MPŻaneta Cwalina-Śliwowska on 14 February, MEPMichał Kobosko on 16 February, MP Paweł Zalewski on 17 February, MP Joanna Mucha and SenatorMirosław Różański on 18 February. On 18 February, a group of 15 MPs and 3 Senators headed by Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Pełczyńska-Nałęcz's election opponent, announced the creation of a new parliamentary group — "Centre".
On 21 March 2026, the party changed its full name from "Szymon Hołownia's Poland 2050" (Polish: Polska 2050 Szymona Hołowni) to "Poland 2050 of the Republic of Poland" (Polish: Polska 2050 Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej). On 20 June 2026, Szymon Hołownia resigned from his position of the party's vice-chairman, although he remains the party's member and vice-marshall of the Sejm. Hołownia then created a group on social media named "Moderates" (Polish: Umiarkowani) and stated that he is considering how and whether to continue his political career.
With the upcoming parliamentary election expected to take place in late 2027, the low polling numbers have made Pełczyńska-Nałęcz seek a suitable coalition partner for the party. Most notable examples came from a proposed "housing coalition" (Polish: koalicja mieszkaniowa) with the left-wing Together Party. While Pełczyńska-Nałęcz has officially dismissed rumors of a pact, she has refrained from making any definitive commitments, keeping the door open for a possible future alliance. There also have been accusations about a possible coalition with Morawiecki's Rozwój Plus, which she firmly denied.
Resignation and new leadership
On October 22 2026, majority of Poland 2050's MPs voted in favor of a Polish People's Party proposal that aimed to abolish the two-term limits for local government leaders. This was in spite of Pełczyńska-Nałęcz whom earlier called on the party to reject this bill. The proposal was ultimately rejected by the rest of the Sejm. On the same day, Pełczyńska-Nałęcz would declare her resignation both from the government of Donald Tusk, and Poland 2050's leadership, citing personal values and integrity. There have been speculations that the decision to leave the government and the party by Pełczyńska have been in the making for weeks prior to resigning due to internal conflicts between her and the rest of the coalition, with some party politicians accusing her of planning to split off from the coalition and working with the opposition Together Party.
Following the resignation, founder and MP Szymon Hołownia announced during a parliamentary press conference that the party plans to elect a new leader. He also stated that he was willing to restore relations with the Centre Union, whose politicians split off after Pełczyńska's election. While Hołownia stated that the parliamentary club of the party will remain inside the governing coalition, he accused the prime ministerDonald Tusk of not coordinating with the party in the renomination of a new minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy, a position previously held by the outgoing party leader Pełczyńska-Nałęcz. Pełczyńska-Nałęcz was removed from the party by its executive board on 24 October 2026.
Ideology and position
Upon its foundation, the party was described by various sources to be positioned in the centre, or the centre-right, of the political spectrum. Its policies spanned from the centre-left to the centre-right. It was also seen as a catch-all party. However, by 2025, the party is consistently placed in the centre-right. The party also adheres to economic liberalism "in continuity with the reforms of Balcerowicz". Party's founder, Szymon Hołownia, has been described as "rather socially conservative and economically liberal."
PL2050 was seen to pursue green policies whilst combining elements of Christian democracy, liberalism, and social democracy. However, after 2023 the party distanced itself from environmentalist causes and dropped its key green postulates. The party has also been also described as conservative, moderate-conservative, and neo-Christian democratic. It supports Poland's membership in the European Union.
Environmental policies
It believes that by 2050 at the latest, Poland should achieve carbon neutrality. They have also stated support for the European Green Deal. Hołownia announced during the presidential campaign in 2020 that "miners should be protected, and not the mines". He declared that his presidency "will be the green presidency" and that "the natural environment is one of the priorities". In 2021, the party was seen as green conservative.
In March 2021, the "Poland on the Green Trail" program was presented. Its main objectives are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030, move away from coal by 2040 and achieve carbon neutrality in 2050. It has also proposed that the minister responsible for energy transformation should have the rank of deputy prime minister and head the Committee of the Council of Ministers for decarbonization of the economy. A "green light" procedure would be introduced into the government's legislative process, which would block laws that increase emissions and have a negative impact on the climate.
While described as environmentalist in 2023, the party greatly toned down its rhetoric and proposals once coming to power. The party distanced itself from the European Green Deal, stating that it is unacceptable in its current form. It also dropped its proposal to introduce taxation on combustion cars. Political commentators noted that the pressure created by the 2024 Polish farmers' protests as well as the conservatism of Polish People's Party contributed towards the decision of Poland 2050 to distance itself from environmentalist causes. Clean Energy Wire wrote that "the shift of the Poland 2050 party, which started off with a progressive climate strategy... is particularly remarkable" and that "the rhetoric of the party’s leader Szymon Hołownia is striking in this regard, as it is highly reminiscent of far-right populists".
Domestic policies
The party aims for the Senate to become a "self-government chamber" in which, apart from elected senators, representatives of local governments at various levels would be represented: voivodeship marshals, city presidents, village heads and mayors. It is also against the centralization of Poland. Hołownia announced that he would act for the independence of judges and the independence of courts and the separation of the functions of the minister of justice and prosecutor general. The movement calls for a relief for judges and the creation of "courts of first contact". Hołownia supports the liquidation of the Church Fund. The party supports a return to the 'abortion compromise' from 1993, which criminalizes abortion except for cases of rape, danger to mother's health or serious fetal defects.
Foreign policy
It supports the European Union, and strengthening relations with France and Germany. Hołownia stated that "Poland should not look for enemies in foreign policy, but allies". It sees the EU as the guarantor of Poland's economic development, and also supports NATO as necessary to Poland's security. Regarding NATO, the party declared that Poland “is not only in the NATO pact, but is the Pact”, arguing that Poland is not just a NATO member but also a part of the Western identity. It considers Russian Federation an existential threat to the 'West', claiming that the Russo-Ukrainian War is "a war that Putin declared against the entire West, of which Ukraine was starting to be a part not institutionally, but culturally and civilizationally".
Structure
As of February 2026, the party's National Board is as follows:
Sokołowski, Czarek (26 January 2024). "Polens Bischöfe wollen keine Lockerung der Abtreibungsregeln. "Echte Sorge um das Leben"". Domradio (in German). Zwei weitere Regierungspartner, die konservativ-liberalen Parteien Polen 2050 und PSL, lehnen hingegen bisher eine Liberalisierung ab.[Two other coalition partners, the conservative-liberal parties Poland 2050 and PSL, have so far rejected liberalization.]
"Elections in Poland: Opposition gains ground". Table_Media. 12 October 2023. The Coalition of the Third Way, a merger of the Peasant Party PSL and the liberal-conservative Polska 2050, is at 10.9 percent, the Left at 10.1 percent.
"2023 Elections: Poland". Center for Strategic and International Studies. 15 October 2023. Third Way (Trzecia Droga, TD): center to center-right political alliance formed in 2023 ahead of the elections with the aim of providing an alternative to PiS and KO; consists of the liberal conservative and environmentalist Poland 2050 grouping and the Christian democratic, conservative and agrarian Polish Coalition:moderately pro-EU; pro-NATO.
Ciobanu, Claudia (12 April 2024). "Polish Women Forced to Hurry Up and Wait for Abortion Liberalisation". Balkan Insight. Warsaw. A fourth draft law proposed by The Third Way – all alliance between the agrarian party PSL and the Christian democratic Poland 2050 of Szymon Holownia – wants a return to Poland's so-called "abortion compromise" that was in place in Poland until 2020.
Nowicka-Franczak, Magdalena (2025). "Memory's Backlash or Revival? The Polono-Jewish Wartime Past in the Contemporary Public Debate in Poland". In Paul Środecki; Daria Kozlova (eds.). War and Remembrance II: World War II and the Holocaust between Tabooization and Competing Narratives in Post-Socialist Europe. War (Hi)Stories. Vol.15. Brill Schöningh. p.63. doi:10.30965/9783657797813_003 (inactive 27 January 2026). ISBN978-3-506-79781-0. The coalition government, comprising the centrist Civic Platform, the Christian-democratic Poland 2050, and with minority participation from the Left, has pursued a largely conservative agenda.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2026 (link)
Otfinowska, Sonia (22 March 2024). "Tusk criticised over not delivering on 100 election promises". Euractiv. For example, Speaker Szymon Hołownia, leader of the socially conservative Poland 2050 (Renew), recently decided to postpone the debate on the bill to liberalise the abortion law until right after the local elections, which left-wing MP Paulina Matysiak called "pure opportunism". The conservative-leaning Hołownia-led Poland 2050 and the Polish People's Party (PSL, EPP), which cooperate within the Third Way alliance, are afraid to reveal their views to voters with local elections looming, she told Euractiv.
Minder, Raphael; Sawka, Natalia (12 July 2024). "Coalition split hampers Tusk's bid to roll back Polish abortion ban". Financial Times. Warsaw. But Tusk has found it difficult to deliver on his promises as two of his coalition partners are more socially conservative than his centre-right Civic Platform party. In addition to PSL, there is also the Poland 2050 party led by Szymon Hołownia, a devout Catholic who is parliamentary speaker.
Tilles, Daniel (9 May 2023). "Veteran MP quits Polish opposition party PO over "turn to left" on abortion". Notes from Poland. Sonik also approvingly noted the recently formed alliance between the centre-right Polish People's Party (PSL) and Poland 2050 (Polska 2050), a centrist group that is more conservative on social issues than PO.
"New leadership, old challenges: Poland 2050 charts its course". XYZ. 2026-02-05. Retrieved 2026-09-18. Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz has assumed leadership of Poland 2050, promising to empower regional structures and reinforce the party's centrist identity.
Sorgho, Olivier (2026-02-18). "Polish junior ruling party splits amid fallout from leadership election". Notes From Poland. Retrieved 2026-09-18. Around half of the MPs from the centrist Poland 2050 (Polska 2050), a junior member of Poland's ruling coalition, have broken away from the party and announced the creation of an alternative new caucus in parliament.
Sojak, Radosław; Meler, Andrzej; Królicka, Beata (2025-12-28). Kto dominuje w polskim dyskursie medialnym? Profil ideologiczny polskiej infosfery(PDF). Polish Academy of Sciences. doi:10.24425/sts.2025.154169. Analizowane środowiska polityczne zagregowaliśmy do trzech głównych: (1) lewicowe/liberalne – Platforma Obywatelska (PO)/Koalicja Obywatelska (KO), Lewica Razem i Nowa Lewica; (2) centrowe – Polska 2050 i Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe (PSL) – Koalicja Polska (KP) oraz (3) prawicowe/konserwatywne – Zjednoczona Prawica (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość [PiS], Solidarna Polska, Partia Republikańska, OdNowa RP, Kukiz'15) i Konfederacja.
"What are the prospects for Poland's ruling coalition?". Notes From Poland. 2026-06-01. Retrieved 2026-09-18. In December 2023, a coalition headed by liberal-centrist Civic Coalition (KO) leader Donald Tusk took office following eight years' rule by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, currently the main opposition grouping.
Damião, Íris; Franco, João; Silva, Mariana; Almeida, Paulo; Magalhães, Pedro C.; Gonçalves-Sá, Joana (2026). "Cross-National Evidence of Disproportionate Media Visibility for the Radical Right in the 2024 European Elections". p.29. arXiv:2601.05826 [cs.CY]. See infographic: A.3 National Parties and respective classification.
Szymański, Leszek (27 September 2025). "Poland's lower house speaker will not run for party chairmanship". Polish Press Agency. The Speaker of Poland's lower house and founder of the centre-right Poland 2050 party, Szymon Holownia, has passed on the chance of being re-elected as the party's chairman, saying the it is the right time to "pass the torch."
Tilles, Daniel; Bill, Stanley (31 July 2025). "A divisive legacy: Andrzej Duda's decade as Poland's president". Notes from Poland. Duda even polls respectably well (over 30% approval) among voters of the centre-right parties of the Tusk coalition – the Polish People's Party (PSL) and Poland 2050 (Polska 2050).
Staniszewski, Bartek; Prescott, William; Harrison, Joe; Shorthouse, Ryan (June 2025). "The right road: The future of the European centre-right"(PDF). Bright Blue. Konrad Adenauer Stiftung: 198. ISBN978-1-911128-80-9. Explicitly centre-right parties: PL2050: Its full name is Polska 2050 Szymona Hołowni.618 Established by Szymon Hołownia in 2020 to run his presidential campaign, and made into a full-fledged political party in 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link)
"Polish centrist's narrow presidential lead leaves pro-EU path in balance". CNBC. 18 May 2025. If the exit poll is confirmed, the other candidates in the first round, including Mentzen from the far-right Confederation Party, Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia of the centre-right Poland 2050 and Magdalena Biejat from the Left, will be eliminated.
"Polish presidential election frontrunner faces scrutiny over ads". Reuters. 16 May 2025. On Friday, Polish Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia, who is standing for president for the centre-right Poland 2050 party, itself a part of the governing coalition, said Trzaskowski had "until the end of the day to explain himself".
Krupa, Jakub (16 May 2025). "Meet the key players - Poland". The Guardian. Szymon Hołownia, speaker of Poland's lower house and the presidential candidate representing two coalition government parties, his own centre-right Poland 2050 and the pro-farmer Polish People's Party (PSL), attends a meeting with local residents in Białystok.
Długosz, Dominika (4 October 2025). "Kłopotliwy spadek po Szymonie Hołowni. Donald Tusk wydał swoim ludziom zakaz". Newsweek Polska. Retrieved 2025-10-05. Podział klubu, jaki był widoczny w czasie głosowania nad kandydaturą na wicepremiera, sprawia, że trudno przesądzić, z kim warto będzie rozmawiać o ewentualnych układach wyborczych. 16 głosów dostała Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz a 14 Paulina Hennig-Kloska, która zgłosiła się w ostatniej chwili. To nie były głosy oddane na nią, ale przeciwko Katarzynie Pełczyńskiej-Nałęcz, która ma w klubie bardzo wielu przeciwników{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑"Main ruling coalition grouping favourite for local elections - poll". Polish Press Agency. 10 February 2024. The Third Way, a ruling coalition member grouping the centre-right Poland 2050 and the agrarian Polish People's Party (PSL), took third position with 13.8 percent of respondents expecting to see them victorious, with the far-right Confederation party trailing on 2.5 percent.
↑"Ruling coalition maintains lead in poll". Visegrád Group. 14 October 2022. A new opinion poll has put Poland's ruling United Right coalition on 30-percent support with the main opposition grouping, Civic Coalition (KO), on 18 percent and the conservative Poland 2050 party on 9 percent.
↑"Ruling coalition maintains lead in poll". Warsaw Point. 14 October 2022. A new opinion poll has put Poland's ruling United Right coalition on 30-percent support with the main opposition grouping, Civic Coalition (KO), on 18 percent and the conservative Poland 2050 party on 9 percent.
↑Staniszewski, Bartek; Prescott, William; Harrison, Joe; Shorthouse, Ryan (June 2025). "The right road: The future of the European centre-right"(PDF). Bright Blue. Konrad Adenauer Stiftung: 199. ISBN978-1-911128-80-9. Given that PL2050 is not a successor party of KOS, it lacks the anticommunist fervour characteristic of many other Polish centre-right parties. That said, its economic liberalism is in continuity with the reforms of Balcerowicz and the party exhibits a religiosity typical of the Polish centre-right.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link)
↑Józef Bartosz; Kastor Kużelewski (August 2023). Annabelle Chapman; Marta Tycner (eds.). A Primer on Poland(PDF) (Report). Research (2nded.). Warszawa: POLITYKA INSIGHT. p.15.
↑Golec de Zavala, Agnieszka (2025). The Psychology of Collective Narcissism: Insights from Social Identity Theory. Routledge. p.165. doi:10.4324/9781003296577. ISBN978-1-003-29657-7. Figure 8.2 presents results of analyses based on the same sample. It shows that national collective narcissism characterizes primarily the voters that support ultraconservative populist Law & Justice and conservative Poland2050.
↑"Nasze D.N.A."Polska2050 (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-01-26.
↑Novotný, Jáchym. Jakub Stauber (ed.). Analýza konzervatismu jako politické ideologie v programech a dalších materiálech politických stran a hnutí v Polsku, na Slovensku a v České republice(PDF) (Political Science and International Relations thesis) (in Czech). Prague: Charles University. p.49. Pokud přihlédneme k určitým prvkům konzervatismu jako je přístup k rodině či místním komunitám a spojíme je s důrazem na ochranu přírody, mohli bychom v případě Polska 2050 hovořit o zeleném konzervatismu, který je v analyzovaném programu převažujícím směrem.[If we take into account certain elements of conservatism, such as attitudes toward family and local communities, and combine them with an emphasis on nature conservation, we could describe Poland 2050 as green conservative, which is the dominant trend in the analyzed program.]
↑This group included Żaneta Cwalina-Śliwowska, who was independent but until this point declared she would stay in Poland 2050's parliamentary club, as well as Izabela Bodnar, a former MP of the party who left in mid-2025.
↑Pełczyńska-Nałęcz resigned from party leadership on 22 October 2026. Two days later on October 24, Poland 2050's National Board voted to remove her from the party altogether, ending her term without a replacement figure.
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