“I would like there to be a clear understanding that in no way is the activity of our association meant to be in opposition to the party – quite the opposite, it is meant to broaden our electorate,” admitted Piotr Müller, an MEP from Law and Justice (PiS). Referring to Friday’s press conference by the party’s chairman, Jarosław Kaczyński, he assured that members of the “Rozwój Plus” association will not run independently in the elections.
Last week, Law and Justice (PiS), during a meeting of the presidium of the party’s Political Committee, discussed the establishment of the Rozwój Plus association by Mateusz Morawiecki, deputy chairman of PiS and former prime minister. According to media reports, around 50 politicians joined the association, including many active PiS members.
After the meeting of the presidium, Rafał Bochenek, spokesperson for PiS, stated that the association is “contrary to the PiS statute,” which “entails disciplinary consequences.” He added that PiS intends to establish an expert council, to which members of the association have been invited. There is still no answer as to whether these politicians will decide to join.
On Friday, Jarosław Kaczyński, chairman of PiS, announced during a press conference in the Sejm that “there will be no places on our lists for people who would engage in this.” In his view, Morawiecki’s association has the character of a political organization.
On Saturday, Mateusz Morawiecki, speaking on RMF FM, admitted that the association is not a separate political entity contrary to the PiS statute and “will operate very broadly in cooperation with local government officials, entrepreneurs, young people, and various communities that today are somewhat not aligned with this very sharp, radical current of PiS.” He added that he is scheduled to meet with PiS chairman Jarosław Kaczyński on Monday.
He emphasized, however: “I am and will remain in Law and Justice (…) I absolutely want to contribute to removing this government from power.”
“The chairman was misled”
Piotr Müller, an MEP from PiS, commented today on the chairman’s Friday conference on Radio Zet. The politician assured that the association led by Morawiecki is not a separate political entity.
“I would like there to be a clear understanding that in no way is the activity of our association meant to be in opposition to the party – quite the opposite, it is meant to broaden our electorate,” he said.
The politician noted that “since 2023, we have lost over 10 percentage points of support – we must fight for it, because the current method is ineffective.”
Asked whether the “Rozwój Plus” association would create its own electoral lists and run separately from PiS in parliamentary elections, he replied: “it will not run, because we want to run on Law and Justice lists.”
“I am deeply convinced that once the chairman learns what the reality looks like and that those advisers who simply misled him had specific bad intentions, he will simply change his mind,” he added.
In his view, the PiS chairman was misled.
“Chairman Kaczyński was misled by people who, as usual – we have already seen this before, for example in 2011 – were once responsible for leaving the party. Among them, Patryk Jaki,” he assessed.