The meeting has raised concerns among members of the governing coalition, some of whom fear Hołownia—whose centre-right Poland 2050 group is part of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Cabinet—may be signalling a shift in political direction.
Kaczyński, who leads the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, told reporters on Sunday that the meeting was held "in full discretion" and declined to share further details. "I won’t break that discretion now," he said.
"We talked about—let’s face it—saving Poland," Kaczyński added.
According to Polish media, the talks took place late on Thursday at the private Warsaw apartment of Adam Bielan, a PiS member of the European Parliament.
Broadcaster Radio Zet and the Polish edition of Newsweek magazine reported that Hołownia arrived first under cover of the night, followed shortly by Kaczyński.
Asked if the meeting achieved its objectives, Kaczyński said: "This is politics—it’s about going step by step. Once we complete the path, I’ll be satisfied."
Speaking later on Sunday in the northwestern city of Szczecin, Kaczyński elaborated that the talks focused on Poland's political landscape and the need to end internal divisions.
“We want to make sure the country moves forward, not backward," he said. "Right now, Poland is moving in reverse."
He also said the two discussed the swearing-in of conservative President-elect Karol Nawrocki, and that Hołownia reaffirmed plans to convene a joint session of parliament for the inauguration on August 6.
"After that, we’ll be able to say definitively that we have won," said Kaczyński, whose party supported Nawrocki’s candidacy.
Hołownia addressed the meeting in an X post on Friday, saying that the "excitement" surrounding the encounter was "neither justified nor helpful."
“I’m one of the few politicians in Poland who regularly meets with members of both bitterly divided camps," he wrote. "Especially in times like these, dialogue is essential—otherwise, we’ll destroy each other."
He added that cross-party talks should be viewed as standard practice, not an exception, and pledged to continue such efforts in his role as Speaker of the Sejm, Poland's lower house of parliament.
Meanwhile, Tusk, the prime minister, met on Friday with leaders of his coalition partners, including Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz of the agrarian Polish People’s Party (PSL), Włodzimierz Czarzasty of the New Left, and Hołownia, who heads the Poland 2050 group.
The meeting focused on a planned Cabinet reshuffle expected in mid-July, state news agency PAP reported.
"Maintaining the coalition is difficult but possible—as is reshuffling the government and agreeing on a strategy to move forward after the presidential election defeat," Tusk wrote in an X post on Saturday.
"This requires courage and loyalty," he added. "Despite obvious challenges, I will complete this task."
Hołownia announced last week that the National Assembly—a joint session of both houses of parliament—would convene on August 6 at 10 a.m. for Nawrocki’s inauguration.
Nawrocki, a Euroskeptic historian backed by Kaczyński and inspired by US President Donald Trump, narrowly defeated centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski in the June 1 runoff, according to final results from the National Electoral Commission.
He will succeed outgoing conservative President Andrzej Duda.
PiS, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, merged last year with its smaller ally Sovereign Poland in a move Kaczyński said was intended to show that "the national patriotic camp is uniting."
He has since laid out plans for the party to reclaim power in the 2027 parliamentary elections.
Tusk’s government was formed in 2023 after a bloc of parties led by his centrist-liberal Civic Coalition (KO) won a parliamentary majority in that year’s general election.
Last month's presidential election loss has triggered a period of reflection and strategic recalibration within the government.
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Source: IAR, PAP