PiS Splits as Jarosław Kaczyński Expels Mateusz Morawiecki and 40 Deputies

The Loyalty Ultimatum and Party Schism

The rift within the PiS, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, reached a breaking point this week when party leadership demanded that members of the Entwicklung Plus (Development Plus) faction either dissolve their group or sign a formal statement of loyalty. The group had been established by former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other reform-minded, EU-friendly figures to broaden the party’s appeal toward younger voters and the political center.

According to reporting by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the ultimatum expired at midnight on Thursday. When Morawiecki and his allies refused to comply, party chairman Jarosław Kaczyński moved to expel them. Kaczyński, who founded the party in 2001, appeared before the media on Friday to confirm the exclusion of more than 30 members of his parliamentary faction.

The scale of the departure is significant, representing roughly one-fifth of the PiS parliamentary group. While Kaczyński stated that more than 30 members had been removed, Morawiecki claimed that 40 deputies were joining him in the split. Piotr Müller, Morawiecki’s former government spokesman, confirmed the names of 40 Sejm deputies and three members of the European Parliament who are aligning with the new movement.

Ideological Divergence and the 2027 Election

The conflict is rooted in a fundamental disagreement over how the PiS should position itself ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for autumn 2027. Following the party’s defeat in 2023, Kaczyński has increasingly pivoted toward nationalist and Euroskeptic rhetoric, attempting to reclaim voters lost to the radical right. In March, he nominated the hardliner Przemysław Czarnek as the party’s candidate for prime minister.

Morawiecki, a former banker who served as prime minister from 2017 to 2023, viewed the nomination of Czarnek as a direct snub to the party’s moderate wing. As reported by 20min, Morawiecki argued that the PiS must return to being a large camp of the Polish right and center-right parties to remain a viable electoral force.

The PiS is currently struggling with declining polling numbers, which sit at approximately 23 percent—a loss of 12 percentage points since the 2023 election.

The End of the Kaczynski ‘Solar System’

Analysts suggest the schism reflects a deeper structural failure within the party. Journalist Rafał Kalukin of the magazine Polityka described the party’s historical operation as a solar system, in which everyone revolved around Kaczyński, who held control by distributing prestige and political benefits.

Future Prospects for ‘Entwicklung Plus’

Whether Morawiecki’s new movement can successfully establish itself as a lasting political entity remains uncertain.

Morawiecki has scheduled a public meeting for next Friday in Warsaw to discuss the group’s platform. For now, the future of the Polish right is in flux.