Marcin Mastalerek claims Jarosław Kaczyński’s decision to nominate Przemysław Czarnek as PiS’s candidate for prime minister in 2027 is a strategic blunder that effectively shields Donald Tusk from accountability.
The Czarnek Factor
In March, Jarosław Kaczyński announced that former education minister Przemysław Czarnek would be the PiS candidate for prime minister in 2027. Kaczyński believes Czarnek is capable of building a government, but Marcin Mastalerek, speaking on Radio ZET, dismissed the choice as a mistake.
Mastalerek argued that Czarnek’s polarizing public presence provides the media with so much content that it becomes impossible to hold Donald Tusk’s government accountable. He cited Czarnek’s derogatory remarks about renewable energy as an example of how the former minister gives Tusk the opportunity to deflect criticism.
A Strategic Misstep
According to Mastalerek, PiS could only win the next election by returning to the referendum idea proposed during the presidential campaign. Instead, he claims Kaczyński has handed Tusk the best possible gift, allowing the current Prime Minister to avoid scrutiny by using figures like Czarnek and Braun as political boogeymen.
The former head of President Duda’s cabinet suggested that personalizing the election campaign was unnecessary and likely driven by internal party power struggles rather than national strategy.
The Weakening of PiS
Mastalerek warned that Kaczyński currently holds the weakest position in the history of PiS, spending his energy resolving conflicts he created himself. He expressed concern that pushing out figures like former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki would deplete the party of its most talented individuals.
He predicted that if Morawiecki forms his own party, he could replace PiS within a few years. Consequently, Mastalerek believes Kaczyński faces two options: force Morawiecki out of the party or allow him to remain and eventually cede control of the organization to him.