Former chief of President Duda’s cabinet says PiS’s survival hinges on unlikely partner Grzegorz Braun, not the usual Mentzen, and warns of the party’s dire electoral trajectory.
Mastalerek Criticizes PiS’s Post‑Election Dilemma
Marcin Mastalerek, former head of President Andrzej Duda’s cabinet, appeared on TV to discuss the political climate around PiS. He said the party’s trend is very bad, and although PiS’s candidate is currently the most popular politician in Poland, the party has failed to draw lessons from past defeats.
He noted that PiS had its worst first‑round presidential result ever. Mastalerek claimed that Kaczyński’s choice of a candidate who drew votes from the Confederation in the second round was a success, yet it also means that after Karol Nawrocki’s election PiS will lose ground.
Potential Coalition Partner: Braun, Not Mentzen
The former president’s aide argued that Jarosław Kaczyński’s attacks on Sławomir Mentzen are misplaced because the real competition comes from Grzegorz Braun, a nationalist, monarchist director. Mentzen gathers support in regions where Kaczyński’s rhetoric does not reach.
Mastalerek believes Braun could become the only PiS coalition partner, but no one will admit it today. Kaczyński may say he will never ally with Braun, yet the accusations against Braun might grant him an ally in a future coalition against the current alliance.
Braun’s Shocked Press Conference on Anti‑Semitism Strategy
On Saturday, 22 November, Grzegorz Braun, MEP and head of the Polish Crown Confederation, held a press conference. He harshly criticized the government’s “National Strategy to Counter Anti‑Semitism and Support Jewish Life 2025‑2030”. At Auschwitz, he stated that “Jews want to be in Poland like other people.”
The justice minister and the prosecutor general reacted to his remarks, stating that Poland will not tolerate anti‑Semitism and that the prosecutor’s office will act decisively. The remarks are said to damage Poland’s international standing and its internal integrity.
