EditPiS split deepens as Kaczyński loses around 30 MPs over loyalty pledge
Tensions have been building since PiS lost power in the 2023 parliamentary election, with two increasingly distinct factions emerging inside the party
Poland’s main opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party has confirmed a major internal split after around 30 MPs refused to sign a loyalty declaration demanded by the party leadership, exposing a deepening power struggle over the party’s future.
PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński said around 30 MPs had left the party after declining to sign a declaration of loyalty prepared by the leadership. Formal confirmation of the split is expected at Tuesday’s meeting of the party’s Political Committee.
Kaczyński said those involved had been fully aware of the consequences of refusing to sign the declaration. “Everyone knew what signing meant and what refusing to sign meant. They made their decision,” he said.
The PiS leader argued that the crisis was not primarily caused by the establishment of the Development Plus association, but by what he described as earlier attempts to divide the party. “The issue is linked to the association, but above all to a proposal made many weeks ago to split our party. In that context, we could only view the association as part of that plan,” Kaczyński said.
He added that the party leadership had sought a compromise by dropping its initial demand that the association be dissolved, asking instead for its activities to be suspended until after the election.
“We made far-reaching concessions. We abandoned the demand to dissolve the association. We only asked for its activities to be frozen until the election. That was not accepted either,” he said.
Despite the split, Kaczyński insisted he did not want to escalate tensions with the departing politicians. “In no case do we want to part with hostility or stronger negative feelings. That is simply how events unfolded,” he said.
The split is the most serious internal rupture in PiS since the party lost power in 2023 and highlights the increasingly open succession battle over who will eventually succeed Jarosław Kaczyński.
While PiS remains Poland’s largest opposition force, the departure of around 30 MPs could weaken party discipline and complicate efforts to present a united alternative to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s governing coalition ahead of the next parliamentary election.
Political reactions
The split triggered strong reactions from politicians across Poland’s political spectrum. Ryszard Petru of the Centre party argued that the division could prove temporary.
“Today they split, before the election they will reunite – exactly as happened with Zbigniew Ziobro’s group. There are no programme differences between them. This is not a fight for Poland, but for influence within PiS. As prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki implemented the same socialist, anti-European programme as Kaczyński,” Petru wrote on X.
Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski of the Left described the conflict as the beginning of the party’s decline.
“This is no longer a crisis. It is the political agony of a party that built its power on fear and conflict. For Poland, this is good news,” he said.
Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, an MEP from the Civic Coalition, said the split could expose further controversies inside PiS.
“The breakup of PiS is underway. It is also a moment for honesty between the rival camps. I hope we will learn even more about their internal disputes and financial links,” she wrote on social media.
Within PiS, Sebastian Kaleta defended the party leadership, arguing that those leaving had been preparing a split for some time.
“President Jarosław Kaczyński revealed that even before the Development Plus association was established, proposals had been made to divide the party. There is no point pretending that people who refused to sign declarations confirming their membership of PiS actually want to remain in PiS,” Kaleta wrote on X.
Growing factional struggle
Internal tensions have been building since PiS lost power in the 2023 parliamentary election, with two increasingly distinct factions emerging inside the party.
One faction has rallied around former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, promoting a more centrist, technocratic image for PiS.
The other, which includes Przemysław Czarnek, Patryk Jaki, Jacek Sasin and Tobiasz Bocheński, favours a more conservative political course and remains closely aligned with Kaczyński’s leadership.
Morawiecki’s influence has grown steadily. In April 2026, he launched the Development Plus association, attracting several dozen PiS MPs. His supporters presented it as a policy platform, while Kaczyński’s allies viewed it as an attempt to establish a rival power centre and position Morawiecki for a future leadership contest.
Although both sides initially sought to contain the dispute, negotiations between Kaczyński and Morawiecki failed to produce an agreement. In mid-July, the PiS leadership adopted a resolution banning party members from participating in other political organisations and required them to sign a declaration of loyalty. Politicians aligned with Morawiecki refused, arguing that the association did not breach the party’s statutes.
Poland’s PiS on the brink: Kaczyński’s unity ultimatum risks party split
Sources: The article in Polish by EUalive’s partner FocusEurope.pl can be found here.
Caption: Leader of the main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) Jaroslaw Kaczynski speaks during a press conference at the PiS’s headquarters in Warsaw, Poland, Warszawa, 24 July 2026. More than 30 lawmakers have resigned from Poland’s main opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party following a 23 July midnight ultimatum ordering parliamentarians to disavow external associations, marking the party’s sharpest internal schism since losing power in 2023. Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski announced the departures amid a political crisis over ‘Development Plus’, an association launched in April by former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to attract voters beyond the right-wing landscape. EPA/LESZEK SZYMANSKI
Updated: July 27, 2026 - 05:11
