Jarosław Kaczyński rules out joint election lists with Rozwój Plus defectors

Exclusion from future candidate lists

Law and Justice (PiS) chairman Jarosław Kaczyński addressed the internal fracture within the Polish right wing during a speech in Sulejów on Saturday, 29 August 2026. Speaking before attendees at a convention of Gazeta Polska clubs, Kaczyński firmly ruled out offering places on future PiS electoral lists to key figures who broke away to form the Rozwój Plus grouping. Kaczyński stated that several politicians in the breakaway faction operate under the assumption that they will secure joint candidacies with PiS in future elections despite their current modest public support figures. He rejected that prospect, arguing that party leadership cannot expect loyal activists who work continuously on the ground to surrender prominent ballot positions to former colleagues who left the organization.

For certain people who played a very large role in breaking up the party, and we know who they are, it is out of the question.

Accusations of betrayal and right-wing division

Kaczyński characterized the split within the conservative opposition as an act of treason that damages the entire country rather than just internal party structures. He warned that political disintegration threatens to cause the broader right-wing bloc to lose upcoming parliamentary elections. In his assessment, lawmakers who chose to divide the party during a difficult political moment should face immediate consequences by dropping out of national politics, or at least departing from what he termed the patriotic camp. He emphasized that maintaining organizational discipline requires clear differentiation between dedicated members and defectors.

How am I, as party leader, to convince my female and male colleagues to yield good places to those who betrayed? Because this is simply betrayal, the most standard betrayal in the world.

Origins of the Rozwój Plus parliamentary club

The formation of Rozwój Plus resulted from weeks of escalating tension inside Law and Justice that culminated at the end of July 2026. At that time, an ultimatum issued by Kaczyński required all PiS parliamentarians to formally renounce their affiliations with external political associations under threat of expulsion from the party. A faction of more than 40 lawmakers centered around former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, including deputies Marcin Horała and Krzysztof Lipiec, refused to sign the mandatory declarations. These deputies argued that their involvement represented a separate civic initiative rather than an exit from PiS. Once party leadership referred their cases to the disciplinary officer, the dissenting lawmakers accepted that their party membership had effectively ended and moved to register their own parliamentary club under the Rozwój Plus banner before the end of July.

Political friction and competition on the right

During the Sulejów convention, Kaczyński also addressed the broader political landscape, pointing to tactics deployed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the ruling coalition. He stated that the governing camp has attempted to exploit the rift on the right by framing the Rozwój Plus deputies as responsible and pro-state while portraying PiS as an anti-state force. Kaczyński clarified that while the breakaway lawmakers have not formally aligned with Tusk's coalition, their separate existence fosters fragmentation that benefits political opponents. He reiterated that unity within the conservative movement remains necessary to contest upcoming elections successfully and prevent further erosion of the opposition's political influence.