Kaczyński Reveals Morawiecki Demanded Party Leadership and Proposed a Split

PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński stated that former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki demanded party control and proposed a split, while addressing the departure of dozens of lawmakers over loyalty pledges.

No Guilt Felt Over Party Tensions

– If you asked me, because you aren’t asking me, whether I feel guilty, I truly do not feel guilty – the PiS president told the host of the program on telewizja wPolsce24. At the same time, he stated that he might have taken certain actions “too late”.

Kaczyński revealed that Mateusz Morawiecki had previously proposed a division of the party. – What he is saying at the moment surprises me a bit. (…) He said it in private, but he also said it later, there were witnesses – he noted.

Accusations and the “Loyalty Pledge” Controversy

The politician emphasized that he does not want to fuel arguments with the former prime minister. – Already at the moment of the association’s creation, one could think that it was about breaking up the party – he assessed. He added that all members of the Rozwój Plus association could realize its goals inside the party.

The PiS president also referred to the statement regarding associations called “loyalty pledges”. – If there was tyranny in PiS, the group would not have been in PiS for a long time. It would have been removed. Those who do not want to sign the “loyalty pledge” today, at least some of them already had various actions on their conscience earlier – he noted.

Refuting Claims of Being Surrounded by Intriguers

– If the prime minister considers me a helpless man surrounded by intrigueres, then we need to convene a congress and appoint a new head who will not let himself be “besieged by intriguers” – he responded to Morawiecki’s recent statements. – There were no proposals of this kind, only accusations – he added. He emphasized that differences of opinion in the party “are possible”.

Kaczyński also addressed the relationship between Morawiecki and Przemysław Czarnek. He stated that the PiS candidate for prime minister is “a man prone to cooperation, to well-understood compromise”. – I never noticed his negative attitude towards the prime minister. (…) I think Mateusz Morawiecki was very wrong here – he assessed. According to Kaczyński, only “Jesus Christ and perhaps Mary, his mother” make no mistakes.

Financial Risks and Party Discipline

The PiS president also appeared on TV Republika on Friday evening. On the station’s airwaves, he emphasized that the existence of the association would result in “financial risks” and “tensions” in the party.

– We wanted to maintain discipline and equality in the party. Everyone, including me, signs a simple document. There is nothing in there other than that one does not operate in political associations. This is a repetition from the statute. (…) The fact that [the loyalty pledge] has bad connotations for them is a secondary matter. Primary is the readiness to act like others. (…) If one is not ready, one resigns from party membership. Such a resignation took place. We regret this – he said.

Morawiecki Wanted to Take Over the Helm of PiS

As he emphasized, the process of disintegration on the right “is deepening” and there is no certainty of the right’s “victory” over the current government. Kaczyński commented on the issue of the letter sent to him by Morawiecki. – There were unacceptable formulations there. He stated that he is in PiS, but refuses to sign the document – he admitted.

The PiS president revealed that Morawiecki was supposed to propose a “party division” already in the first of three conversations about the associations. He also admitted that the choice of Czarnek as the party’s candidate for prime minister “hit” Morawiecki “very hard”.

However, more than becoming a candidate for prime minister, Morawiecki reportedly cared about taking over the helm in PiS, which he was supposed to tell Kaczyński “recently”. – I told him that of course he has a chance. You say you have a lot of support in the party, well then what’s the matter? After all, I am not able to make this impossible for you, nor do I intend to make it impossible – he reported.

Fractions of “Butterers” and “Scouts”

The program’s host also asked about the course of conversations with Morawiecki and his accusation that Kaczyński is controlled by intriguers. Jacek Sasin, mentioned by Morawiecki as the main intriguer, was present during the last-chance conversation at Nowogrodzka. – Secretary General Piotr Milowański happened to be there, Prime Minister Sasin was sitting next to him. I told them: maybe you would be during this conversation. And to him, that is Prime Minister Morawiecki, I said: Here is the “butterer”, you are the “scout”, it’s good that you are here together – the president replied.

Kaczyński also referred to a post on the X portal by Ryszard Terlecki, who stated that “Jarosław Kaczyński remains the most outstanding politician of 35 years”. However – as he added – “butterers are leading PiS to defeat”. – They immediately dissolved the association and if Mateusz Morawiecki had done that too, he would still be a very important politician in the party, and at the moment when I step down, a candidate to replace me – the PiS president noted.

40 Lawmakers Leave PiS

On Thursday (July 23) at midnight, the deadline of the PiS leadership’s ultimatum for the party’s parliamentarians to submit a statement on non-membership in associations expired – under threat of expulsion from the party. The matter concerned primarily members of the Rozwój Plus association, which was founded by former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

PiS President Jarosław Kaczyński stated on Friday (July 24) that “thirty-some (…) lawmakers (…) resigned from membership” in PiS. He added that next Tuesday (July 28) the PiS Political Committee will “acknowledge this fact”. The PiS leader noted that every party parliamentarian knew what the failure to sign the statement entailed.

There are currently 40 lawmakers, one senator, and three MEPs in the “scouts” fraction.