Poland's largest opposition party, Law and Justice, is experiencing internal turmoil that could lead to a significant split, with the party leader announcing that over 30 lawmakers have effectively left.
The conservative nationalist party governed Poland from 2015 until late 2023, when the current liberal government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk assumed power. During its tenure, Law and Justice implemented significant control over the judiciary, appointing sympathetic judges to higher courts and sanctioning critics.
The current government's attempts to reverse these judicial changes have been repeatedly obstructed by two presidents who were aligned with Law and Justice.
Amidst these political challenges, internal tensions within Law and Justice have been escalating, particularly as the party faces a national election next year and competition from parties positioned further to its right.
The disagreement primarily centers on longtime party leader Jarosław Kaczyński and Mateusz Morawiecki, who served as prime minister from 2017 to 2023. Morawiecki is associated with a more moderate faction within the party and established an organization called Development Plus in April, which has been met with suspicion by some party members.
A deadline for lawmakers to commit to not belonging to other political associations expired Thursday night. A meeting between Kaczyński and Morawiecki on Thursday did not resolve their differences.
On Friday, Kaczyński stated that over 30 lawmakers had resigned their party membership as a result. He indicated that the party's political committee would convene on Tuesday to formalize these departures.
However, Piotr Müller, a European Parliament lawmaker for Law and Justice and a supporter of Morawiecki, disputed the party leadership's account. Müller posted on X that no party members who were part of Development Plus had actually resigned from Law and Justice.
Morawiecki stated on Friday that he and other members of his association have not yet discussed forming a new party. He added that "we have to discuss all plans for the future."
Law and Justice currently holds 186 seats in the 460-seat Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament.