According to reports from the daily Rzeczpospolita, a change of prime minister could take place this autumn if the ruling coalition’s polling numbers continue to slide. In informal party talks, the name of a potential successor is being mentioned more and more often – and it is a woman. The candidate is Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, currently serving as secretary of state at the Ministry of National Defence.
The summer months are expected to be a period of political damage control for the Civic Coalition, following the so-called Szpital Południowy scandal. Party strategists hope that emergency measures in healthcare, proposed by the health minister, will help stabilise public opinion. However, if support drops further, deeper changes in the government are anticipated by autumn.
While officials publicly deny any plans to replace Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the rumour is circulating in the corridors of power. A government insider told Rzeczpospolita that the scenario is being considered. “I know it sounds like political fiction today, but such a variant is indeed being discussed,” the source said.
A candidate with cross-coalition support
Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka served as Undersecretary of State for European Affairs at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister between 2024 and 2026, and from 2025 also acted as the government’s plenipotentiary for the SAFE programme. In 2026 she was appointed secretary of state in the defence ministry. Insiders describe her as highly competent, both in substantive matters and in communications and public image. According to the daily, she enjoys the trust not only of Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who maintains good relations with Donald Tusk, but also of the prime minister himself.
Her appointment could reinvigorate the coalition and attract a broader segment of the electorate. Analysts note that her profile is distinctly different from Tusk’s – she is younger, female, and associated with the defence and European portfolios, which may help the government regain a reformist image.
Historical parallel and political strategy
Professor Jarosław Flis, a sociologist at the Jagiellonian University, does not dismiss the candidacy as unrealistic. “When Ewa Kopacz took over from Tusk, PiS was ahead in the polls, and the new prime minister managed to turn the party’s fortunes around. It was only Bronisław Komorowski’s defeat that ultimately sank the Civic Platform,” he recalled. According to Flis, the current situation bears similarities: the ruling party needs a fresh face to regain momentum, and a female prime minister could once again serve as a catalyst for recovery.
Political observers point out that the move would also serve as a pre-emptive strike against internal tensions within the coalition. The Polish People’s Party, led by Kosiniak-Kamysz, has been a steady partner, but its base expects a clearer centre-right identity. Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, with her ties to both Tusk and Kosiniak-Kamysz, could bridge the divide.
Whether the change actually materialises will depend on the autumn polls and the government’s ability to weather the current crisis. For now, the name on everyone’s lips is Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka – a surprise candidate who may soon become a household name in Polish politics.
Źródło: WNP.PL (powołujące się na Rzeczpospolitą), Fot. PAP/Leszek Szymański
