Poland: opposition party PiS collapses
The Polish opposition party PiS has split following months of conflict between party leader Jarosław Kaczyński and former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The break-up came after Morawiecki and his supporters rejected an ultimatum to pledge loyalty to the party leadership, with the result that more than 30 MPs have now left the party. The backdrop is disagreements over the party's direction in the run-up to the general election in 2027.
Is Tusk losing his opponent?
This could have far-reaching political implications, observes Interia:
“The collapse of the PiS party – regardless of what form it took or what explanations are being given by the leaders of both factions today – will have far-reaching consequences for Poland's political landscape. Not only on the right. If Jarosław Kaczyński's party shrinks to the size of the numerous other parties with around ten percent of the vote, Donald Tusk will lose his polarising opponent, which could take the wind out of his sails and force him to change his strategy.”
The face of fatal reforms
For Gazeta Wyborcza, Morawiecki is totally untrustworthy:
“Mateusz Morawiecki is casting himself as a political martyr, a man who wanted to reform PiS but was prevented from doing so by the wicked Kaczyński and his conspirators. ... But Morawiecki's problem is his credibility. The former prime minister was the face of the PiS's most shameful projects: the dismantling of thelegal system, the politicisation of public broadcasters, the dispute with the European Union as well as the vilification of women and sexual minorities. Morawiecki is also the face of the disastrous tax reform and the destruction of the healthcare system and higher education.”