“A mature political camp can distinguish between competition and civil war. We must be able to do the same. Law and Justice is not the property of any group or faction. It is the common home of millions of Poles who believed that Poland can be proud, strong, just, and ambitious. We cannot become an isolated, inward-looking party. Let us build a broad camp focused on Polish affairs. Let us build a great movement that unites the right, the centre-right, and the solidarity movement,” former Prime Minister and deputy leader of Law and Justice (PiS) Mateusz Morawiecki said in a statement released today.
Thursday marks the final deadline for members of the Law and Justice (PiS) parliamentary caucus to submit declarations confirming that they do not belong to political associations. Failure to submit the declaration will result in expulsion from the party.
Today, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, founder of the Rozwój Plus association and deputy leader of Law and Justice (PiS), issued a statement addressing the current situation within the party.
Morawiecki began by highlighting the achievements of the United Right government, including its solidarity-based and pro-development policies.
“It was the shared achievement of the entire Law and Justice camp, Beata Szydło’s government, my cabinet, the leadership of Jarosław Kaczyński, as well as the work of ministers, members of parliament, local government officials, experts, and thousands upon thousands of people devoted to Poland,” the former prime minister said, pointing to the external challenges the United Right government had faced, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war, and the energy crisis.
“That is why I will not allow eight years of great change to be reduced to personal score-settling and internal ambitions,” Morawiecki stressed.
“We Can Become a Great Party Again”
He then turned to the economic reforms introduced by the United Right government, as well as its investment and modernization initiatives.
“Unlike the current coalition government, we listen to the people and we also learn from our own mistakes. We can openly say what succeeded and where we failed. Today, Law and Justice faces a choice. We can retreat into an ever-smaller circle, speak only to those already convinced, and lose our ability to win a majority. Or we can once again become a great party – a broad movement of the Polish right and centre-right. We do not all have to speak the same language. We can reach different groups of voters,” Morawiecki declared.
He added that some politicians are better suited to winning over conservative voters, while others can more effectively engage entrepreneurs, employees, young people, local government officials, NGOs, and residents of large cities.
Morawiecki argued that political rivals effectively appeal to different voter groups and “we should not be afraid of diversity either.”
“Differences of opinion are not betrayal. Policy work is not a split. Meetings with entrepreneurs, policy-focused events, and open discussions with local government officials, experts, and citizens are not activities against Law and Justice. On the contrary, this is the only way we can rebuild and expand our political camp. That is precisely why Rozwój Plus was created. It was not established to divide the right. It was created to defend the achievements of our governments, which are sometimes being undermined from within. It was created to develop policy, broaden public support, and regain the trust of people who have turned away from us,” the former prime minister said.
“We Are Not Waiting for the Government to Collapse on Its Own”
Morawiecki stressed that this is a time of testing and that defending core values cannot rely solely on strong declarations. He pointed to external threats and what he described as poor domestic policies, while also speaking of “a great opportunity for Poland” and “the wealthiest Poland in its history.” He outlined the investments and reforms he believes are necessary to sustain the country’s development.
He added that meetings held across Poland over the past two years have been shaping a comprehensive pro-development programme.
“We are not waiting for the government to collapse on its own. Every day we are preparing our political camp to once again take responsibility for Poland, and no intrigue will stop this work. Nor will those who, instead of a great party capable of winning elections, would prefer a smaller party that belongs only to them,” Morawiecki declared.
He also reminded listeners that Donald Tusk did not win the 2023 parliamentary election outright and argued that Poles did not give him a direct mandate to become prime minister, saying he secured the office through coalition politics.
“The great national task of the Polish right today is to remove this ineffective and paralysed government from power,” he said.
“This Is Where I Belong”
Morawiecki also referred to the example of the United States.
“American Republicans are capable of fierce competition and then working together. Marco Rubio competed against Donald Trump, and today he is one of the most important members of his administration. A mature political camp can distinguish between competition and civil war. We must be able to do the same. Law and Justice is not the property of any group or faction. It is the common home of millions of Poles who believed that Poland can be proud, strong, just, and ambitious. We cannot become an isolated, inward-looking party. Let us build a broad camp focused on Polish affairs. Let us build a great movement that unites the right, the centre-right, and the solidarity movement,” the former prime minister said.
He concluded:
“I am in Law and Justice, I want to remain in our team and in our patriotic camp. This is where I belong.”