The rift is the result of a months-long conflict between PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński and Morawiecki over the party’s direction. The immediate cause was the creation of the Development Plus movement, through which Morawiecki aimed to appeal to a broader conservative base. However, the PiS leadership saw this as a rival power base and demanded that the involved politicians disassociate from it.
Separation
Morawiecki and his supporters refused to comply with that ultimatum. Subsequently, a definitive split occurred. The former prime minister announced his own parliamentary faction, causing PiS to lose a significant portion of its representatives.
As a result, the party risks losing its position as the largest bloc in parliament to the governing coalition of the liberal Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Promotion
Elections
The split comes at a sensitive moment. PiS had expected to have a serious chance at government participation again in the 2027 parliamentary elections. These prospects are now complicated by growing competition from even more radical parties on the right side of the political spectrum.
According to polls, PiS is losing ground to parties advocating a more hardline nationalist approach. The party leadership is attempting to counter this development with a tougher political stance.
Ukraine
At the same time, Morawiecki is trying to present himself as a representative of a more moderate conservative direction that should attract new voters without abandoning the traditional principles of the right-wing.
The differences also deepen regarding foreign policy. Morawiecki continues to support backing Ukraine from Poland’s security interests. He sees defending Ukraine as an essential part of protecting Poland. Within the remaining PiS, calls for stricter conditions on further support to Kyiv are heard more frequently.
European Union
In addition, both camps differ on the relationship with the European Union. Morawiecki favors resolving political disputes within European cooperation. Meanwhile, the PiS leadership has expressed increasingly sharp tones toward Brussels, emphasizing national sovereignty and resistance to further European influence. Especially the EU's agricultural policy is a major sticking point.
Coalition?
How the power struggle will ultimately end remains uncertain. Morawiecki does not rule out future cooperation with PiS, and the party leadership also does not seem to completely close that door. What is certain is that the split has profoundly changed the Polish right wing and that the battle for the conservative electorate has become considerably more complex.