Published July 29, 2026
Poland’s populist conservatives continue to politically splinter, as Law and Justice (PiS) head Jarosław Kaczyński moves to expel party dissidents led by former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki. That move would weaken PiS but could strengthen the opposition to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, especially if Morawiecki can form common cause with disaffected centrist parties unhappy with Tusk’s government.
Kaczyński has long been at odds with Morawiecki over PiS’ future. Kaczyński, who co-founded the party in 2001 and has led it since 2003, wants PiS to move rightward to compete with two populist parties to PiS’ right, Confederation and the Confederation of the Polish Crown (KKP). In March he named Przemysław Czarnek, a hardline former education minister, as the party’s candidate for prime minister.
Morawiecki wants the party to move toward the centre-right to compete with voters attracted to Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO). Morawiecki’s decision to form an association, Development Plus (Rozwój Plus, RP+), sparked Kaczyński’s decision as he viewed the group as potentially forming the basis for internal opposition or even creating a new party.
Expelling the members of Morawiecki’s group, said to contain as many as 44 parliamentarians, for their refusal to sign a loyalty pledge effectively forces Morawiecki’s hand. PiS passed a resolution on July 15 requiring its parliamentarians to renounce membership of outside associations, with a deadline of midnight on July 23.
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Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a globally recognized expert on American elections and policy as well as global populism.
