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PiS deputy leader Morawiecki vows to stay in party after registering new association

15.05.2026 10:20
Former Polish Prime Minister and Law and Justice (PiS) deputy leader Mateusz Morawiecki has insisted he will not leave the party after formally registering a new political association, Development Plus.
Polands former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Poland's former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak

Speaking to reporters in the Sejm lower house on Thursday, Morawiecki said the association had been officially registered on Tuesday and would serve as a "programme foundation" for PiS, focusing on demographic issues and outreach to business and local government communities.

The announcement followed a reportedly turbulent away session of the PiS parliamentary club on Wednesday near Warsaw, during which party leader Jarosław Kaczyński was said to have called for a freeze on all internal associations.

Morawiecki dismissed reports of serious tensions, describing the atmosphere as "de-escalating and unifying rather than divisive".

"I will certainly not resign from this association, I will certainly support PiS, and I will not be pushed out of the party," he told journalists.

The row reflects a broader internal split within PiS between supporters of Morawiecki, known informally as the "scouts" (harcerze), and a rival faction – nicknamed the "butter-makers" (maślarze) – grouped around figures including Przemysław Czarnek, Jacek Sasin, Patryk Jaki and former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro.

Last month, Kaczyński and Morawiecki held a seven-hour meeting that produced what the party leader described as a compromise – a "two lungs" strategy, under which Czarnek would target more radical and Confederation-leaning voters, while Morawiecki would appeal to those seeking stable, effective government.

Morawiecki denied suggestions he was undermining Czarnek's campaign for prime minister, saying their relations were good following a dinner the previous evening.

(ał)

Source: PAP