The selection of Przemysław Czarnek as the candidate for prime minister was preceded by a thorough analysis of the electorate and polling. There was no list of candidates or changes to such a list, as suggested by the media; this is what Niezależna.pl learned from members of the leadership of Law and Justice (PiS). Only a few people knew who party chairman Jarosław Kaczyński would designate, to prevent leaks. Within the party, there is hope for a “lasting peace” between factions. For now, however, we hear that there is only a fragile truce.
The Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported that four people were on the party’s list of potential candidates for prime minister: the current head of the President’s Chancellery, Zbigniew Bogucki; PiS vice-president and MP Przemysław Czarnek; MP Anna Krupka; and PiS Member of the European Parliament and party vice-president Tobiasz Bocheński.
According to other numerous media reports, local government officials had also recently appeared in this group, including the mayor of Stalowa Wola, Lucjusz Nadbereżny; the mayor of Otwock, Jarosław Margielski; and the mayor of Chełm, Jakub Banaszek.
“All of this was speculation, fairy tales, fantasies, and false media narratives. There were no candidate lists, nor was anyone being crossed off them. Even the most important politicians learned about Chairman Kaczyński’s decision only shortly before Saturday’s convention. Did the media reports bother us? Not necessarily. Often hostile media were amplifying the topic of our candidate for prime minister. As the saying goes, people should be talking rather than not talking at all,”
said one of the party’s more prominent politicians in an interview with Niezależna.pl.
Attacks on Czarnek
The party is ready for attacks on Czarnek, both from the media and from government institutions.
“Let them try. Przemysław Czarnek doesn’t crack under pressure. We know that the ‘Villa Plus’ issue will come back, probably as early as next week. There’s nothing there. It’s an investigation being artificially prolonged. It’s an empty shell. Karol Nawrocki was slandered as well, and what happened? With every attack, he only grew stronger,”
says a politician from the PiS leadership.
In recent days, there have also been media rumors that Mateusz Morawiecki is preparing to leave PiS, allegedly also because of the endorsement of a prime-ministerial candidate whom he supposedly does not accept. Politicians from his circle insist this is untrue. However, the idea of giving the former prime minister and his allies “greater political agency” within PiS has surfaced.
“Building an expert policy base, preparing a new programmatic offer for the right wing, and becoming the economic leader, these are Mateusz’s priorities. At the same time, he cannot be marginalized. He will fight, for as long as possible, for greater political agency within the party, together with a group of about a dozen MPs. The point is to act within PiS, not outside it,”
one of them says.
A Fragile Truce
Is party unity at risk?
“Perhaps Przemysław is not Mateusz’s top favorite. But after a conversation with Chairman Kaczyński this week, he appeared at the convention. Everything indicates that they reached an understanding; there is a fragile truce. How long it will last and whether it will turn into lasting peace, we will see. The joking is over; we are entering pre-election mode. There is no room for mutual and public sniping. This applies to everyone. Anyone who rocks the boat will be thrown overboard, or should jump off it themselves,”
says a politician from the party’s top leadership.
On Saturday, Jarosław Kaczyński also spoke clearly about the need for different factions not to “undermine” one another. He firmly defended Mateusz Morawiecki.
“These governments managed to cope; they changed our country for the better under very difficult conditions, especially during the second term. And at this moment, I will say one thing: whoever continues this public criticism of our own governments, because unfortunately it is people from our own party who are doing it, whoever aligns themselves with dishonest attacks on those governments, on us, must reckon with the fact that they will be rejected. I want to say this with full determination: we must move forward together, all of us,”
said the PiS chairman.