At a time when Polish pro-European parties are preparing to take control of the country, the iconoclastic style and quick-wittedness of the president of the lower house of parliament is attracting thousands of new subscribers on social networks.
Former television star Szymon Holownia, 47, is no stranger to the cameras; He notably hosted the Polish version of the show Incroyable Talent.
He left the world of show business four years ago and since the parliamentary elections in October the attention and spotlight of the plenary sessions in the chamber have been focused on him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, fill up your popcorn supply […]because I expect a lot of action,” says Mr Holownia, announcing an upcoming parliamentary session during one of his now almost daily press conferences.
His jokes and repartee go viral, such as when Mr Holownia corrects a Conservative MP who had just referred to a colleague as a member of the “Jay-Z” generation instead of “Gen-Z”.
In another sequence, he criticizes nationalist MPs for being “somewhat monothematic”.
“I encourage you to show more originality and intellectual effort. Insults are also an art,” he jokes and is applauded by MPs from the pro-European camp.
Since Mr Holownia took office a month ago, viewership of the Diet (House of Commons) YouTube account, which mainly broadcasts parliamentary debates, has increased almost tenfold, from 45,000 to 435,000 subscribers.
One million downloads
The unexpected success of the parliamentary process led to an unusual move by a Warsaw cinema, which announced it would live-stream Monday's session at which the state parliament will vote to trust the populist nationalist minority government.
“We've never done this before,” Kinoteka spokeswoman Karolina Fornal told AFP, adding that the session would be sold out.
“We planned two rooms for this show, so more than 500 seats (…) and we received more than 1,500 requests,” reveals Ms. Fornal.
Szymon Holownia managed to capitalize on the excitement around him by launching a podcast designed to take a look behind the scenes of parliamentary life, the first episode of which was downloaded around a million times.
“Like Zelensky”
Experts say celebrity-turned-politician Holownia's popularity follows a familiar logic.
“It’s a bit like [le président ukrainien Volodymyr] Zelensky and how he made a name for himself. Mr. Holownia was able to stand out because he has experience and knows how the media works,” explains media analyst Adam Szynol from the University of Wroclaw.
“He knows that he has to keep it short and say a sentence or a joke from time to time,” says Mr. Szynol.
But Mr. Holownia's iconoclastic style has also earned him some criticism, particularly from the current conservative nationalist prime minister.
“Instead of real work, we have popcorn, shows and circuses. Is this politics?” wrote Mateusz Morawiecki on social media.
For Mr Szynol, there is a risk that young people will watch parliamentary sessions just “for fun, to see who had the best text or who created a new meme”.
However, in his opinion, this renewed interest from a generation that often turns away from politics should not be discredited.
“The young people who voted want to see what happens with their vote and that will be crucial,” he emphasizes.