Who is responsible for the split in PiS? Poles divided on blame

A new poll reveals that Poles are deeply divided over who is to blame for the recent split in PiS, with no single clear culprit emerging among voters.

Poll Results on the Split in PiS

In a survey conducted by SW Research on behalf of “Rzeczpospolita,” respondents were asked directly what they believed was the main cause of the split in PiS, with the distribution of answers being heavily dispersed and showing no single clear “culprit.”

Actions by Jarosław Kaczyński himself were indicated as the main cause by 17.9 percent of those surveyed, while slightly fewer, at 13.9 percent, placed responsibility on the faction known as the “maślarze.” Meanwhile, 15.9 percent of respondents considered that the actions of Mateusz Morawiecki and his camp led to the division within the party.

The largest group—33.4 percent of respondents—did not point to a single side, instead concluding that all participants in the dispute share responsibility for the split in part, and 19 percent of those surveyed had no opinion on the matter (due to rounding results to one decimal place, the given percentages do not sum up to exactly 100 percent).

Demographic Differences in Poll Responses

SW Research President Przemysław Wesołowski pointed out differences in responses depending on the place of residence and income of the surveyed individuals. The blame of Jarosław Kaczyński was indicated slightly more often than by others by residents of cities with a population ranging from 100 to 199 thousand residents—in this group, the percentage reached 22 percent.

The circle of Mateusz Morawiecki as responsible for the split was indicated by more than every fifth respondent (22 percent), specifically by residents of towns numbering from 20 to 99 thousand residents. The “maślarze” were most frequently pointed to—in 21 percent of cases—by individuals with net incomes exceeding 7,000 zlotys.

The survey was carried out using the CAWI method among users of the SW Panel online panel on July 28-29, 2026, involving 800 internet users over the age of 18, selected through random-quota sampling.

Morawiecki Forms a Separate Parliamentary Club

The split in Poland’s largest right-wing party occurred at the end of July 2026, following weeks of mounting tension surrounding the “Rozwój Plus” association chaired by former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. PiS authorities issued an ultimatum to MPs associated with this initiative requiring them to submit declarations stating they did not belong to the association, and when the deadline passed and about thirty-odd parliamentarians failed to comply, Jarosław Kaczyński treated this as equivalent to leaving the party.

The PiS Political Committee ultimately decided not to formally expel the politicians associated with Morawiecki despite earlier announcements to that effect, directing the matter of the Rozwój Plus association members to party disciplinary spokesperson Karol Karski instead, which opened the path for disciplinary proceedings against the involved parliamentarians.

Several hours later, Morawiecki preempted further steps by the party leadership and announced the creation of a separate parliamentary club named Rozwój Plus, which was joined by 40 MPs and one senator. Kaczyński assessed that the creation of the new club is de facto a split, and claimed Morawiecki had long been implementing his own political plan.