Governing party head: there is no need for reshuffle

“All such cases should be treated with great caution, calmly, not under pressure from the media or the opposition,” Jarosław Kaczynski told the wPoiltyce.pl website, asked about whether a reshuffle is imminent.

In recent days, Polish media have reported that at least three ministers could lose their jobs. One of them was Digital Affairs Minister Anna Streżyńska, who made critical comments about the government in a radio interview earlier this week.

Prime Minister Beata Szydło held a cabinet meeting on Wednesday where she spoke about upholding unity within the party.

Government spokesman Rafał Bochenek said that “there is no conflict within the party” and that this is “not the time for a reshuffle but for discipline”.

In a separate interview earlier this week Bochenek referred to recent media reports claiming that Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski could be appointed an ambassador to the UN.

“This information related to the government's alleged reshuffle is of course speculation and once again we have to deny it. This is obviously an attempt to drive a wedge, and a desire to attack the Polish government,” Bochenek said.

A reshuffle has been discussed in the media since at least early April. Senate Speaker Stanisław Karczewski, himself a top PiS member, said that a “shallow” reshuffle of the Polish government is possible.

“Intuition tells me that maybe a shallow reconstruction of the government [is possible],” Karczewski told the Radio Zet station.

PiS has been in power since late 2015. (rg)