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Former Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki speaks during a press conference at the Polish parliament building in Warsaw, Poland, 24 July 2026. EPA\/RADEK PIETRUSZKA<\/p>\nFormer Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki speaks during a press conference at the Polish parliament building in Warsaw, Poland, 24 July 2026. EPA\/RADEK PIETRUSZKA<\/p>\n
Following a months-long power struggle, more than 30 MPs \u2013 including former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki \u2013 are set to be expelled from the Law and Justice party, in the biggest rupture seen on the Polish right in many years.<\/p>\n
Law and Justice, or PiS, is Poland\u2019s largest opposition party and one of the country\u2019s two dominant political forces, alongside the governing Civic Coalition led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The split could sharply reduce PiS\u2019s chances of returning to power in next year\u2019s parliamentary election.<\/p>\n
On early Friday afternoon, PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski announced<\/a> that \u201caround 30-something\u201d of the party\u2019s 186 MPs had effectively chosen to leave after refusing to sign declarations of loyalty. The documents required them to state that they did not belong to any political associations operating within the party \u2013 an obvious reference to Development Plus (Rozwoj Plus), an organisation created by Morawiecki, until now one of PiS\u2019s deputy leaders.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone knew what they were supposed to sign, and knew the consequences of not signing,\u201d Kaczynski said. \u201cAnd so they made the decision they did.\u201d<\/p>\n Kaczynski has been PiS\u2019s undisputed leader and chief power broker for more than two decades, selecting loyal candidates for prime minister who largely continued to defer to him once in office. Morawiecki was initially one of them, serving as prime minister between 2017 and 2023.<\/p>\n But in recent years, Morawiecki \u2013 an economist, former banker and comparatively moderate conservative \u2013 has grown increasingly impatient with Kaczynski\u2019s dominance. He has pushed for changes to both the party\u2019s internal structure and its political program, arguing that PiS was failing to speak convincingly to younger voters and entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s rupture was the culmination of months of increasingly open conflict.<\/p>\n \u201cUntil the very last moment, we fought for the unity of the Law and Justice camp,\u201d Morawiecki said<\/a> at a press conference. \u201cWe could not accept being forced to sign a loyalty pledge.\u201d<\/p>\n He accused the party leadership of using ultimatums and political blackmail to discard a strategy that had been agreed only recently.<\/p>\n Morawiecki did not formally announce the creation of a new party. He did, however, declare the beginning of \u201ca new chapter in Poland\u2019s political history\u201d, promise a major nationwide tour and announce that his camp would soon present a new political program.<\/p>\n He said his political circle now included 40 MPs (which stands at odds with Kaczynski\u2019s estimate), one senator and three members of the European Parliament, describing it as a \u201cvery strong representation\u201d. Its offer, he said, would reach beyond PiS\u2019s traditional base and target young people, entrepreneurs, local-government officials and even some voters currently supporting the governing coalition.<\/p>\n Morawiecki presented his project as a modern, patriotic and pro-state conservative force, capable of responding to social and economic change without falling back on outdated ideas.<\/p>\n The electoral consequences could be enormous. An Opinia24 poll<\/a> conducted before the split tested precisely such a scenario. With PiS united, the party would receive 23 per cent of the vote, behind Civic Coalition on 31.6 per cent. When respondents were offered a separate Morawiecki-led Rozwoj Plus list, support for PiS fell to 17.7 per cent, while Morawiecki\u2019s group received 6.2 per cent. Civic Coalition remained clearly ahead on 30.9 per cent.<\/p>\n