Poland's ex-PM Morawiecki leads mass defection from PiS, forms new faction

Published Jul 29, 02:15 PM UTC

Poland's former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has left the Law and Justice (PiS) parliamentary group along with approximately 40 MPs, one senator, and three MEPs, forming a new intra-party faction called Development Plus (Rozwoj Plus). The split follows a power struggle with PiS chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who demanded a loyalty oath. Morawiecki's group will form its own parliamentary caucus, reducing PiS's seat count from 177 to around 137 in the 460-seat Sejm. The breakup, occurring a year before the 2027 parliamentary elections, reshapes Poland's right-wing landscape and could benefit Prime Minister Donald Tusk's coalition, though analysts note the situation is complex. PiS remains a key member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the EU Parliament, and the split may affect European right-wing dynamics.

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