Internal strife intensifies in Poland’s ruling party as former premier faces potential disciplinary action over public disputes.
“Butterflies” vs “Scouts”
A growing conflict within Law and Justice (PiS) centers on party influences, the candidate for future prime minister, and the party’s programmatic direction. The dispute also involves evaluations of six years of Mateusz Morawiecki’s government and Poland’s relations with the EU. Public arguments erupted again between European Parliament member Patryk Jaki and former Prime Minister Morawiecki, supported by MPs Ireneusz Zyska and Mirosława Stachowiak-Różecka. The disagreement focused on the EU’s defense program SAFE, with Morawiecki’s faction being less critical than the rest of the party.
In response, PiS Chairman Jarosław Kaczyński has referred the matter to the party’s ethics commission regarding Morawiecki’s statements and his supporters. Jaki’s initial post is currently being “analyzed” according to party spokesman Rafał Bochenek.
Not the First Time
This isn’t the first time politicians from these rival factions have publicly argued. However, this time they did so despite warnings from Chairman Jarosław Kaczyński, who had previously stated on February 13 that further social media discussions would result in suspension from the party.
“There are specific rules, there were public communications from our leader, Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, and today, as announced, consequences are being drawn for violating these rules,” explained Rafał Bochenek in parliament on Friday. “If we have three buses, as many as needed to accommodate all our parliamentarians, without internal discipline, we can’t make them all go in one direction, hence such a decision by the chairman,” added a PiS leadership politician.
Will There Be a Split in PiS?
Currently, the party’s ethics commission, headed by former Sejm Marshal Elżbieta Witek, will investigate the statements by three PiS politicians (including former TVP head Jacek Kurski for recent critical remarks about Morawiecki). Some PiS members believe Morawiecki will be punished, which could ultimately lead to a party split.
“Matters are accelerating,” comments one politician who has long believed Morawiecki’s departure and that of his people is a matter of time. “If you’re going to leave to build something new, now is the time because there’s still time,” says this source who observes the PiS situation from the sidelines and doesn’t belong to either of the two main feuding factions.
“Suwpolitics” of PiS?
Many in PiS, not necessarily from Morawiecki’s circle, believe the problem isn’t the “Scouts” and their leader, but former Sovereign Poland, particularly Zbigniew Ziobro, who fled to Hungary and received political asylum from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. There’s a widespread view in PiS that the former justice minister and his former ministry colleagues (another Hungarian asylum seeker Marcin Romanowski and MP Michał Woś) are harming Law and Justice.
“Many in the party are tired of Jaki and his activities, but they also don’t like where the party is heading. They call it ‘suwpolitics’ of PiS,” says one parliamentarian trying to stay away from internal disputes. “What benefit do we get from taking them back into the party? They don’t add any value,” assesses our source.
Morawiecki’s Defense
“Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is behaving properly and admirably, consistently defending and explaining the policy of the Law and Justice government from 2015-2023, and it should be said that all decisions made then were made with the agreement or even at the recommendation of Jarosław Kaczyński, the party chairman,” states MP Krzysztof Szczucki, former head of the Government Legislative Centre, in an interview with Gazeta.pl.
“He absolutely doesn’t deserve any repercussions from the party, and his statement yesterday on social media was a reaction to what Patryk Jaki was posting there,” he adds. When asked if he fears Morawiecki’s exclusion from PiS, he responds, “that would be the end of Law and Justice.” “Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is the most popular person, indicated by voters as the best candidate for prime minister. I don’t think Chairman Jarosław Kaczyński would ever decide on such an action,” adds Szczucki.
The former head of government reacted to the disciplinary decision on X: “I will always defend the achievements of eight years of Law and Justice rule before those who can’t do anything but criticize.”