Former Polish minister Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski has resigned from the conservative-nationalist PiS party after more than twenty years. In parliament he will join the populist right-wing opposition faction of Pawel Kukiz.
The former agriculture minister also says he wants to launch a new political movement. Ardaniowski also disguisedly questions the leadership of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
A striking aspect of Ardanowski's announcement is his move to Paweł Kukiz's faction. He is a former rock musician and politician known for his populist and anti-establishment views.
Ardanowski has also indicated he is open to working with other political groups, including possibly the right-wing Confederation. This could point to a broader strategic alliance that could further change the political dynamics in Poland.
In the recent parliamentary elections, the liberal opposition of former EU commissioner Donald Tusk won enough votes to defeat the right-wing PiS coalition. Tusk's center-left coalition is still fragile and not yet well coordinated.
Several disgruntled right-wing PiS members and politicians have expressed interest in joining Ardanowski. He has repeatedly stated in recent months that PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński's time is coming to an end. “This horse will no longer pull the cart,” he said in a recent speech.
Many Polish voters are disappointed with Kaczynski's PiS course. Ardanowski indicated that he mainly wants to represent the interests of farmers and the countryside. He had to resign as agriculture minister a few years ago when he continued to oppose controversial animal welfare proposals from the then PiS Prime Minister Mateusz Marowiecki.
The dissatisfaction in the countryside about those proposals (which, incidentally, have been withdrawn) is now seen as one of the causes for the PiS coalition's loss at the ballot box.
Ardanowski's announcement has drawn mixed reactions. While some analysts are skeptical about yet another split on the right of the already fragmented Polish political landscape, others see potential in Ardanowski's initiative. The next parliamentary elections in Poland will be held in more than three years.