The motion, submitted by the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, was rejected by 234 lawmakers, while 204 voted in favour. None abstained. A total of 231 votes was required to remove the minister.
During the debate, Tusk said he would submit a request to President Karol Nawrocki to appoint Domański as a deputy prime minister.
Domański called the proposal "a huge distinction" and said he viewed it as a responsibility.
"I am pleased with the prime minister’s decision. This is, I think, also a kind of commitment, which I accept," he told reporters in parliament.
Paweł Szefernaker, the president's chief of staff, described Tusk's proposal as "a mockery and laughing in the faces of Poles."
“The state is becoming increasingly indebted, high prices are hitting Poles’ wallets, and Poland has received a lower credit rating for the first time in 24 years. Normally, when someone fails to deliver, they are fired. Tusk is proposing a promotion,” Szefernaker wrote on X.
Tusk defended Domański during the debate, calling him “a truly outstanding minister.”
He said Domański had managed to maintain the country’s financial stability while spending heavily where needed.
Addressing Poland’s debt, Tusk said other major European economies had higher debt levels than Poland and said there was “no reason to panic.”
Zbigniew Kuźmiuk of PiS, who presented the no-confidence motion, accused Domański of contributing to a crisis in public finances, insufficient oversight of tax revenues, overstating projected budget revenues and failing to deliver on election promises.
Kuźmiuk also said the government was increasing public debt at a rate exceeding PLN 1 billion (EUR 230 million) a day and argued that the scale of the deficit was limiting the government’s ability to finance additional measures.
Jarosław Urbaniak of Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO), speaking on behalf of parliament’s finance committee, which opposed the no-confidence motion, accused the opposition of ignoring the state of public finances inherited from the previous government.
Urbaniak pointed to 2023 figures, saying the budget deficit stood at 5.3 percent of gross domestic product, twice the level recorded in 2015. He also said the economy did not grow in 2023 and that inflation reached 11.4 percent.
KO lawmaker Zbigniew Konwiński said PiS had submitted the no-confidence motion at a time when Poland’s economy was growing rapidly and business investment was increasing.
PiS lawmaker Przemysław Czarnek said Tusk should have dismissed Domański long ago. He accused the finance minister of making budget-estimate errors amounting to "PLN 120 billion in just three years" and criticised what he described as a sharp increase in public debt.
Krzysztof Paszyk of the Polish People's Party (PSL) defended higher budget spending, saying it was necessary because of geopolitical threats, the need to strengthen the military and improve national security.
Tomasz Trela of the Left pointed to falling inflation during Domański’s tenure and Poland’s economic growth since 2024.
Witold Tumanowicz of the far-right Confederation party called Domański “one of the worst finance ministers in the history of postcommunist Poland” and supported the no-confidence motion, citing the rising cost of servicing public debt.
Ryszard Petru of the Centre parliamentary group said the previous PiS government had increased spending on costly social programs while keeping some debt outside the state budget.
Piotr Górnikiewicz of Poland 2050 called on Domański to present a credible plan to reduce public debt without placing additional tax burdens on Poles.
Adrian Zandberg of the opposition left-wing Razem party also criticised Domański’s policies. He accused the minister of failing to address problems in the tax system and of reducing real spending on science and education.
Domański rejected the opposition’s accusations, saying that when he took responsibility for the economy in 2023, it had “zero economic growth,” the VAT gap stood at 15 percent and annual inflation was 11 percent.
“This inflation tax that you imposed on Polish families was paid by Poles every day in stores, when paying bills and watching the value of their savings fall. That was your model of running the economy. Take on debt, preferably outside the budget, and then cover it with horrendously high inflation paid for out of Poles’ pockets,” Domański told opposition lawmakers.
He said that if inflation under the PiS government had not “totally gotten out of control,” public debt as a share of GDP would have been 57 percent, rather than 49 percent.
“We are still paying off your debts, your obligations and your cardboard checks,” Domański said.
He said the “dark times for Poland and the Polish economy are over,” arguing that economic growth had reached 4 percent and that Poland was among the fastest-growing economies in the European Union.
Domański said responsible economic policy also meant maintaining sound public finances.
“We see the challenges related to the budget deficit. We know that in the coming years we must consistently strengthen the state’s finances, but we are looking at them from a broader perspective,” he said.
“We have huge investment needs in energy, infrastructure and modern industry. It is our duty to finance Poland’s security, invest in its development and, at the same time, consistently put public finances in order,” he added.
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Source: IAR, PAP