Poland’s main opposition party splits following loyalty pledge ultimatum
Poland’s main opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party has fractured following a severe internal dispute over its political strategy, with former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and dozens of his allies breaking ranks with longtime leader Jarosław Kaczyński.
The split occurred after Kaczyński issued an ultimatum demanding all PiS lawmakers sign a strict loyalty oath committing them not to collaborate with outside political groups.
Dozens of parliamentarians, led by Morawiecki, refused to sign the pledge before the deadline, leading Kaczyński to declare that those who abstained had effectively resigned from the party.
The former prime minister confirmed that his faction includes 40 members of parliament, three members of the European Parliament, and one senator, though he maintained that his group sought to preserve unity while broadening the right-wing electoral base toward younger, centre-right voters.
The division threatens PiS’s status as the largest party in the Polish parliament, a position it held despite losing power to Donald Tusk’s pro-European coalition in 2023.
As the conservative vote increasingly fragments across competing factions ahead of the 2027 parliamentary elections, the formal expulsion of the dissident lawmakers is scheduled to be processed at a party leadership meeting.
