The proposal, put forward in July 2025 by the Polish People’s Party (PSL), a partner in Tusk’s governing coalition, would have scrapped the rule limiting village heads, town and city mayors to two terms in office.
The Sejm, Poland’s lower house, rejected it on Thursday by 215 votes to 213, with nine abstentions.
Speaking to journalists in India on Friday, Tusk said he saw "no problem" with returning to the bill at once.
"If only technical reasons meant a few votes were missing, let’s go back to it as soon as possible and vote again," he said.
PSL leader Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz had pointed to missing votes, including those of Tusk and the finance minister, who were both in India.
Tusk replied that the trip had been planned for weeks and that he had taken part in votes on abortion the day before.
He asked why the local government vote had not been held then, when everyone was present.
Most MPs from the governing parties backed the bill, including nearly all of Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO).
But the main opposition party, Law and Justice (PiS), and the Rozwój Plus group voted against, while several others were divided.
Hours after the vote, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, the minister of funds and regional policy and leader of coalition partner Poland 2050, said she was quitting the government.
"I'm leaving Donald Tusk’s government because values are more important to me than positions," she wrote on X.
She said she was glad the two-term limit had survived, but that this had happened despite votes from coalition parties, including many of her own party’s MPs.
She also appeared to say she was stepping down as party leader.
Poland 2050 founder Szymon Hołownia said its MPs would stay in the coalition.
The limit was introduced in 2018, along with longer five-year terms, and PSL has opposed it ever since.
(ał)
Source: PAP