Another City Mayor Joins Morawiecki’s Association as Polling Shows Impact on PiS Support

The mayor of Kalisz is set to join former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s Rozwój Plus association, as a new poll reveals how an independent run by the grouping could affect PiS support.

Kalisz Leadership to Join Morawiecki’s Association

The mayor of Kalisz appeared in Warsaw at the “Rozwój Plus Wy” meeting organized by the former prime minister, alongside vice-president Mateusz Podsadny and city secretary Marcin Cieloszyk. According to reports, Mayor Krystian Kinastowski will officially announce his decision on Thursday, August 13.

Background of Krystian Kinastowski

Born in 1979 in Poznań, Krystian Wojciech Kinastowski graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Poznań University of Technology. In 2018, he won the mayoral election in Kalisz in the second round with 63.5 percent of the vote, securing reelection in 2024 with 56.2 percent, and became the Greater Poland coordinator for the Nonpartisan Local Government Activists structures in 2023.

Expansion of the Rozwój Plus Association

Kinastowski will be the second city mayor to join the Rozwój Plus association, following Tomaszów Mazowiecki Mayor Marcin Witko. On Tuesday, August 11, Witko posted on X that he is officially joining the association after years of cooperation with Mateusz Morawiecki, stating he wants to use his local government experience to work for Poland and strong local governments.

United Surveys Poll on Rozwój Plus and PiS Support

An independent run by Rozwój Plus in parliamentary elections could lower PiS support, according to a United Surveys by IBRiS poll for Wirtualna Polski, though it would not significantly change the ruling coalition’s difficult situation. The CAWI and CATI poll was conducted between August 7 and 9 on a representative sample of 1,000 adult Poles.

First Scenario: Joint List With PiS

In the first variant where politicians associated with Mateusz Morawiecki and his association ran on a joint list with Law and Justice, 28.7 percent of respondents chose Civic Coalition, while PiS came second with 21.4 percent. They were followed by Confederation (12.4 percent), Confederation of the Polish Crown (8.8 percent), and the Left (7.1 percent), with Polish People’s Party (4.6 percent), Together Party (4.1 percent), and Poland 2050 (1.6 percent) falling below the electoral threshold.

Second Scenario: Independent Run by Morawiecki’s Party

The second variant assumed an independent run by Morawiecki’s Rozwój Plus party, which Civic Coalition also won with 28.7 percent, while PiS dropped by 3.6 percentage points compared to the joint run to 17.8 percent support. Subsequent results included Confederation (10.6 percent), Confederation of the Polish Crown (9.6 percent), the Left (7.2 percent), and Rozwój Plus (6.8 percent).