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Poland’s Kaczyński to be reappointed deputy PM on Wednesday

21.06.2023 10:30
Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of Poland’s ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, will return to the government on Wednesday in a key role as deputy prime minister, a senior Cabinet minister told Polish Radio.
Jarosław Kaczyński (centre).
Jarosław Kaczyński (centre).PAP/Leszek Szymański

Jacek Sasin confirmed Kaczyński’s return to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s government in an interview with the Polish public broadcaster on Wednesday morning. 

Sasin, who is minister for state assets, said: “Yesterday evening, I resigned from my role as a deputy prime minister, along with the other deputy prime ministers in the Cabinet. This is because Jarosław Kaczyński is returning to government to become the only deputy prime minister.”

Sasin added that Kaczyński's return would mark “a fundamental change” in the structure of Poland's conservative government.

Kaczyński served in Morawiecki’s Cabinet as a deputy prime minister from October 2020 to June 2022.

Sasin told Polish Radio on Wednesday: “This time, the role of Chairman Jarosław Kaczyński will be totally different than during his previous tenure. Previously, his main mission was to strengthen Poland’s national defence by preparing and piloting the enactment of the homeland defence law. This time Jarosław Kaczyński will coordinate all of the government’s work.”

“Chairman Kaczyński will assume an absolutely key role in the government," Sasin said.

His announcement follows media reports that Kaczyński was considering a return to the government as deputy prime minister, to put a stop to political infighting within the United Right coalition and to bolster the ruling conservatives’ election campaign. 

Sasin told Polish Radio that President Andrzej Duda would officially appoint Kaczyński as the new, and only, number two in the Cabinet at noon on Wednesday, the polskieradio24.pl website reported.

(pm/gs)

Source: polskieradio24.pl, PAP, Polsat News