The decision was taken at an electoral national congress that brought together delegates from across the country, concluding an internal leadership campaign that began in October.
Czarzasty is the Speaker of the Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament, and a veteran figure on the Polish left.
Addressing the congress, he said the New Left, a member of Poland’s governing coalition, would "fight to restore women’s full rights", work for a "complete separation of church and state" and "stand against the climate catastrophe", while warning that this struggle would continue "at least as long as President [Karol ed.] Nawrocki remains in office".
Czarzasty added that he would "fight Nawrocki" if the president tried to "attack the constitution" or push "populist laws designed to divide society".
He also said the party expected to deliver further policy goals within the current parliamentary term, pointing to plans for new state-backed rental housing, digital tools to book medical appointments and proposals to shorten working hours without cutting pay.
Former Polish president Aleksander Kwaśniewski told the congress that Czarzasty’s "great historical achievement" was uniting fragmented left-wing forces and setting aside personal ambitions, which allowed the left to return to parliament after a period outside it.
The Polish left was absent from parliament between 2015 and 2019, after failing to win any seats in the 2015 general election for the first time since the fall of communism.
The congress also chose a new group of deputy leaders, reflecting the party’s current representation in government and parliament.
(ał)
Source: PAP, IAR