Chwedoruk: Bogucki Holds a Key Advantage Over Czarnek for PiS Leadership

Political scientist Rafał Chwedoruk assesses that Zbigniew Bogucki’s ties to the presidential office could make him a more effective bridge to Confederation voters than Przemysław Czarnek.

Reports on PiS Prime Ministerial Candidate

Kanał Zero reported on Wednesday, July 22, that Head of the Presidential Office Zbigniew Bogucki might become the PiS candidate for prime minister, as previously covered by Gazeta.pl. PiS spokesperson Rafał Bochenek denied these reports and assured that Przemysław Czarnek remains the party’s candidate to head the future government.

Why Bogucki Could Replace Czarnek

Zbigniew Bogucki may replace Przemysław Czarnek due to considerations involving the Confederation party.

Building Bridges with Confederation

Rafał Chwedoruk emphasized in an interview with Gazeta.pl that the PiS-backed Karol Nawrocki won the presidential election because he was voted for not only by Law and Justice voters, but also by the Confederation electorate, sympathizers of Grzegorz Braun, and other environments critical of the ruling camp. Prof. Chwedoruk stated that a natural function for Karol Nawrocki, from the perspective of PiS interests and his own political career, will be building bridges between PiS and specifically Sławomir Mentzen’s Confederation in the future.

The Problem with Czarnek’s Candidacy

The political scientist believes that the ability to reach Confederation voters will also be of great importance when choosing the PiS candidate for prime minister. According to the expert, for this reason, Przemysław Czarnek’s candidacy may prove problematic in the long term. Prof. Chwedoruk noted that many Confederation voters, especially younger ones, were socialized in opposition to PiS during the era when Mateusz Morawiecki was prime minister, making it difficult to imagine a former minister active in cultural conflicts acting as a unifying force between Confederation and PiS.

A Less Expressive Candidate Profile

The expert added that someone more strongly tied to the presidential center than to PiS would be more suitable—someone less expressive and eclectic, to whom PiS could assign the status of a de jure non-partisan candidate, much like what happened with Nawrocki. The expert stated that Zbigniew Bogucki can play such a role.

Przemysław Czarnek’s Task and the End of an Era

Rafał Chwedoruk believes that Czarnek fulfilled an important task as the PiS candidate for prime minister. Prof. Chwedoruk assessed that Czarnek was largely chosen to debate Mentzen’s Confederation and Braun’s environment, and to bear the burden of radicalization in this matter, even if that radicalization contradicted policies pursued by PiS for years, as occurred in the case of the Ukrainian issue. With the end of a certain stage—maintaining the majority of the PiS electorate and stopping its further outflow toward the two Confederation factions—Przemysław Czarnek’s mission will become obsolete.