Second Cabinet of Mateusz Morawiecki
Second Cabinet of Mateusz Morawiecki | |
|---|---|
| 2019–2023 | |
 Mateusz Morawiecki (2019)
| |
| Date formed | 15 November 2019 |
| Date dissolved | 27 November 2023 |
| People and organisations | |
| President | Andrzej Duda |
| Prime Minister | Mateusz Morawiecki |
| Deputy Prime Minister |
Piotr Gliński (2019–2023) Jacek Sasin (2019–2023) Jarosław Gowin (2019–2020, 2020–2021) Jadwiga Emilewicz (2020) Jarosław Kaczyński (2020–2022, 2023) Mariusz Błaszczak (2022–2023) |
| No. of ministers | 24 |
| Member parties |
|
| Status in legislature | |
| Opposition party | |
| Opposition leader |
|
| History | |
| Election(s) | 2019 parliamentary election |
| Legislature term(s) | 9th Sejm & 10th Senate |
| Predecessor | Morawiecki I |
| Successor | Morawiecki III |
The Second Cabinet of Mateusz Morawiecki was the government of Poland, headed by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, since being sworn in by President Andrzej Duda on 15 November 2019 until 27 November 2023. The Prime Minister delivered a statement to the Sejm on 19 November 2019 before obtaining a vote of confidence with 237 of the 460 MPs voting in the affirmative.
The government was supported by the United Right coalition consisting of Law and Justice, United Poland and the Republican Party, as well as by the Polish Affairs parliamentary group and some independent MPs. In May 2021 Kukiz'15 leader Paweł Kukiz and Law and Justice leader Jarosław Kaczyński signed a cooperation agreement between the two parties. Despite not being a part of a formal coalition and not being represented in the Council of Ministers Kukiz'15 has since supported the government especially in major votes in the Sejm.
The government underwent a reshuffle in October 2020. On 25 June 2021 the government lost its majority in the Sejm, when 3 MPs (Zbigniew Girzyński, Arkadiusz Czartoryski and Małgorzata Janowska) left Law and Justice and established a new parliamentary group (Wybór Polska, literally "Choice Poland"). The following 7 July, Czartoryski joined the Republican Party, restoring the government's majority status in the legislature.
In August 2021, a controversial bill on the amendment of the "Broadcasting and the Cinematography Act" was passed by the Sejm despite vocal opposition from Agreement, a member party of the United Right. On 11 August, Jarosław Gowin, leader of the party, was sacked from the government which in turn caused 13 other MPs to leave the governing coalition. Due to the crisis the government had once again lost its majority in the Sejm. The controversial bill was eventually vetoed by President Andrzej Duda in December 2021.
In June 2022, Agnieszka Ścigaj, the leader of Polish Affairs, was appointed a government minister. Due to the support of her parliamentary group, the government regained its formal majority status.
Following parliamentary elections in 2023, this government lost its parliamentary majority in the Sejm. However, Mateusz Morawiecki was briefly re-appointed as Prime Minister, and subsequently formed a new, very short-lived, government.
Cabinet
| Office | Portrait | Name | Party | In office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From | To | |||||
| Prime Minister |
|
Mateusz Morawiecki | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Sport | November 15, 2019 | December 5, 2019 | ||||
| Minister of Digital Affairs | October 6, 2020 | April 3 , 2023 | ||||
| Deputy Prime Minister |
|
Piotr Gliński | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | |
| Minister of Culture and National Heritage | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | ||||
| Chairman of the Public Benefit Committee | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | ||||
| Deputy Prime Minister | October 6, 2020 | October 26, 2021 | ||||
| Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sport | October 6, 2020 | October 26, 2021 | ||||
| Chairman of the Public Benefit Committee | October 6, 2020 | October 26, 2021 | ||||
| Deputy Prime Minister | October 26, 2021 | November 27, 2023 | ||||
| Minister of Culture and National Heritage | October 26, 2021 | November 27, 2023 | ||||
| Chairman of the Public Benefit Committee | October 26, 2021 | November 27, 2023 | ||||
| Deputy Prime Minister |
|
Jarosław Gowin | Agreement | November 15, 2019 | April 8, 2020 | |
| Minister of Science and Higher Education | November 15, 2019 | April 8, 2020 | ||||
| Deputy Prime Minister | October 6, 2020 | August 11, 2021 | ||||
| Minister of Development, Labor and Technology | October 6, 2020 | August 11, 2021 | ||||
| Deputy Prime Minister |
|
Jacek Sasin | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of State Assets | November 15, 2019 | November 27, 2023 | ||||
| Minister of National Defence |
|
Mariusz Błaszczak | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | June 22, 2022 | November 27, 2023 | ||||
| Minister of Infrastructure |
|
Andrzej Adamczyk | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development |
|
Jan Ardanowski | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs |
|
Jacek Czaputowicz | Independent | November 15, 2019 | August 26, 2020 | |
| Minister without portfolio |
|
Michał Dworczyk | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Development |
|
Jadwiga Emilewicz | Independent | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister | April 9, 2020 | October 6, 2020 | ||||
| Minister of Marine Economy and Inland Navigation |
|
Marek Gróbarczyk | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | |
| Minister of Funds and Regional Policy |
|
Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak | Independent | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | |
| Minister without portfolio |
|
Mariusz Kamiński | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Interior and Administration | November 15, 2019 | November 27, 2023 | ||||
| Minister of Finance |
|
Tadeusz Kościński | Independent | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | |
| Minister of Finance, Funds and Regional Policy | October 6, 2020 | October 26, 2021 | ||||
| Minister of Finance | October 26, 2021 | February 9, 2022 | ||||
| Minister of Climate |
|
Michał Kurtyka | Independent | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | |
| Minister of Climate and Environment | October 6, 2020 | October 26, 2021 | ||||
| Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy |
|
Marlena Maląg | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | |
| Minister of Family and Social Policy | October 6, 2020 | November 27, 2023 | ||||
| Minister of National Education |
|
Dariusz Piontkowski | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | October 19, 2020 | |
| Minister without portfolio |
|
Łukasz Schreiber | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Health |
|
Łukasz Szumowski | Independent | November 15, 2019 | August 20, 2020 | |
| Minister without portfolio |
|
Konrad Szymański | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | March 4, 2020 | |
| Minister for European Affairs | March 5, 2020 | October 13, 2022 | ||||
| Minister for European Affairs |
|
Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk | Law and Justice | October 13, 2022 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister without portfolio |
|
Michał Woś | United Poland | November 15, 2019 | March 4, 2020 | |
| Minister of Environment | March 5, 2020 | October 6, 2020 | ||||
| Minister of Digital Affairs |
|
Marek Zagórski | Law and Justice | November 15, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | |
| Minister of Justice |
|
Zbigniew Ziobro | United Poland | November 15, 2019 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Sport |
|
Danuta Dmowska-Andrzejuk | Independent | December 5, 2019 | October 6, 2020 | |
| Minister of Science and Higher Education |
|
Wojciech Murdzek | Agreement | April 16, 2020 | October 19, 2020 | |
| Minister of Health |
|
Adam Niedzielski | Independent | August 26, 2020 | August 11, 2023 | |
| Minister of Health |
|
Katarzyna Sójka | Law and Justice | August 10 , 2023 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs |
|
Zbigniew Rau | Independent | August 26, 2020 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister |
|
Jarosław Kaczyński | Law and Justice | October 6, 2020 | June 19, 2022 | |
| Minister without portfolio |
|
Michał Cieślak | The Republicans | October 6, 2020 | June 15, 2022 | |
| Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development |
|
Grzegorz Puda | Law and Justice | October 6, 2020 | October 26, 2021 | |
| Minister of Funds and Regional Policy | October 26, 2021 | November 27, 2023 | ||||
| Minister without portfolio |
|
Michał Wójcik | United Poland | October 6, 2020 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Science and Higher Education |
|
Przemysław Czarnek | Law and Justice | October 19, 2020 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister |
|
Henryk Kowalczyk | Law and Justice | October 26, 2021 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development | October 26, 2021 | April 3 , 2023 | ||||
| Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development |
|
Robert Telus | Law and Justice | April 3 , 2023 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Sport and Tourism |
|
Kamil Bortniczuk | The Republicans | October 26, 2021 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Climate and Environment |
|
Anna Moskwa | Independent | October 26, 2021 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Development and Technology |
|
Piotr Nowak | Independent | October 26, 2021 | April 7, 2022 | |
| Minister of Development and Technology |
|
Waldemar Buda | Law and Justice | April 8, 2022 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Finance |
|
Magdalena Rzeczkowska | Independent | April 26, 2022 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister without portfolio |
|
Włodzimierz Tomaszewski | The Republicans | June 17, 2022 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister without portfolio |
|
Zbigniew Hoffmann | Law and Justice | June 22, 2022 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister without portfolio |
|
Agnieszka Ścigaj | Polish Affairs | June 22, 2022 | November 27, 2023 | |
| Minister of Digital Affairs |
|
Janusz Cieszyński | Law and Justice | April 3 , 2023 | November 27, 2023 | |
Policy
Restitution
In June 2021, Poland proposed a law to put a 10-to-30 year statute of limitation on restitution claims, which would therefore nullify cases regarding property seized during World War II, which Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid described as “immoral and a disgrace.” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said “I can only say that as long as I am the prime minister, Poland will not pay for German crimes: Neither zloty, nor euro, nor dollar.” Lapid also said, “We are fighting for the memory of the Holocaust victims, for the pride of our people, and we won’t allow any parliament to pass laws whose goal is to deny the Holocaust.” The proposed law would nevertheless also prevent people whose property was confiscated by the Polish communist government (1944–1989) from getting their lost property restituted/compensated.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda finally signed the law on 14 August. In response, Israel recalled its envoy from Poland and told the Polish ambassador not to return. Nevertheless, Poland returned its envoy to Israel in July 2022 as a sign of rapprochement in bilateral relations.
Media law
In July 2021, a group of Law and Justice MPs submitted a draft of a bill on the amendment of the "Broadcasting and the Cinematography Act", which intended to prevent entities based outside the European Economic Area from owning more than 49% of shares in Polish radio and television stations. The measure was widely seen as a step against Discovery-owned television station TVN, highly critical of the ruling party, which would force the American company to divest its ownership. Law and Justice denied those accusations, claiming the bill's goal was to prevent non-EU countries, such as Russia and China, from acquiring Polish media.
In August 2021, the bill was passed in the Sejm with a vote of 228 to 216 with 10 abstentions. The amendment of the Agreement Party, a United Right ruling coalition member, which would allow companies from countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to own more than 49% of shares in Polish media companies was also rejected. This resulted in sacking of Agreement's leader Jarosław Gowin from the government and a political crisis.
In September 2021, the Senate voted to reject the bill with a vote of 53 to 37 with 3 abstentions. The Sejm once again voted to pass the bill with a vote of 229 to 212 with 11 abstentions, achieving an absolute majority and overriding the Senate's veto. On December 27, amid widespread protests, President Andrzej Duda decided to veto the bill.
Social
In July 2020, Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro declared he would begin preparing the formal process for Poland to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. He claimed the treaty is harmful because it "requires that schools teach children about gender in an ideological way" and that it "de-emphasizes biological sex". On July 30, Prime Minister Morawiecki motioned for the Constitutional Tribunal to decide whether the Convention violated the Polish Constitution. As of August 2022 the case remains undecided.
In March 2021, the Ministry of Justice prepared a bill banning same-sex couples from adopting children, saying “this solution corresponds to the views of the vast majority of Polish society”. As of August 2022 the bill hasn't been put to a vote in the Sejm.
In April 2022 United Poland part of the ruling government called for tougher blasphemy laws in Poland, such as three-year jail terms for insulting church or interrupting mass.
In October 2022, they submitted a citizens' legislative initiative for the tougher blasphemy laws with close to 400,000 signatures to parliament.