Mateusz Morawiecki Launches 'Rozwój Plus' Association Amid Threats of PiS Expulsion

Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki confirmed the establishment of the Rozwój Plus Association (Stowarzyszenie Rozwój Plus), a move that triggered an immediate and sharp internal dispute within the Law and Justice party, known by its Polish acronym PiS. Morawiecki, who served as prime minister from 2017 to 2023, described the association's purpose as creating space for dialogue and initiating actions supporting Poland's social and economic development. The initiative is structured to function as a think tank focused primarily on economic matters. According to a source from Morawiecki's faction cited by PAP, the association had already been constituted and included approximately 40 PiS members of parliament, with formal court registration expected by the end of April 2026. Morawiecki told Wirtualna Polska that the initiative aimed to attract people who do not fully identify with any existing right-wing party, including PiS, the Confederation, or Grzegorz Braun's Polish Crown grouping.

40 (MPs) — approximate number of PiS parliamentarians in the association

Kaczyński delivers ultimatum over election lists PiS chairman Jarosław Kaczyński announced in a narrow circle of close associates that party politicians who join Morawiecki's association will not be placed on Law and Justice election lists, according to findings by journalist Patryk Michalski of the TVN24+ program "News Michalskiego," confirmed by three separate sources. The ultimatum was delivered in Kaczyński's office after Morawiecki had left an urgent meeting of the PiS Political Committee presidium held at the party's headquarters on Nowogrodzka Street in Warsaw. Those present during the closed-door consultation included Przemysław Czarnek, Mariusz Błaszczak, Elżbieta Witek, Jacek Sasin, and Zbigniew Rau. A source familiar with the meeting told TVN24 that the discussion before Morawiecki's departure had been sharp and stormy, with only Ryszard Terlecki directly supporting the association concept. According to another source, Morawiecki argued during the meeting that the initiative was intended to reach centrist voters and attract people who would not otherwise vote for PiS, but he failed to convince the majority. „The chairman decided that if someone wants to act in Morawiecki's association, let them sign up, but they will not find a place on the lists.” — Jarosław Kaczyński via TVN24 According to Wprost, another meeting of the top PiS leadership was planned for Thursday, April 16, at the Nowogrodzka Street headquarters.

Błaszczak and Bochenek warn of party disintegration Mariusz Błaszczak, head of the PiS parliamentary club and former minister of national defense, stated publicly that the association could serve as a vehicle for breaking apart the party's political environment. „The association can be used and will certainly be used as a form of disintegration of the political environment, our political environment of Law and Justice.” — Mariusz Błaszczak via Polsat News PiS spokesperson Rafał Bochenek issued a statement saying that the vast majority of the party leadership expressed concern about the initiative, particularly given what he described as a moment when unity was especially needed. Bochenek added that in the party's view, participation in the undertaking did not serve the good of PiS, and that associations built on the foundation of sitting parliamentarians or party members were unacceptable. Przemysław Czarnek, a PiS member of parliament and former minister of education and science, posted an online statement calling the moment unsuitable for factionalism or egoism. „This is not a time for egoism; this is not a time for factionalism!” — Przemysław Czarnek via Do Rzeczy Czarnek argued that the overriding goal remained removing Prime Minister Donald Tusk's coalition from power, and that any initiative dividing the PiS camp interfered with that objective.

Prominent PiS figures on the association's membership list The full membership list of Rozwój Plus, as reported by Gazeta Prawna, revealed the breadth of the initiative and explained why it alarmed the PiS leadership. Among those involved were Ryszard Terlecki, a long-serving deputy marshal of the Sejm and one of the most senior figures in PiS; Michał Dworczyk, former head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister; Piotr Müller, former government spokesman; and Waldemar Buda, who headed the Ministry of Development and Technology. The list also included Marcin Horała, previously responsible for the Central Communication Port project, Olga Semeniuk-Patkowska, former deputy minister of development, and Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, former minister for European affairs. Current parliamentarians on the list included Anna Kwiecień, Paweł Rychlik, Krzysztof Szczucki, and Mirosława Stachowiak-Różecka. Morawiecki noted that various associations linked to other PiS-adjacent figures, including those connected to Zbigniew Ziobro, Marcin Ociepa, and Marcin Horała, had already been formed around the party, framing Rozwój Plus as consistent with existing practice. Despite the pressure from the party leadership, sources close to Morawiecki's circle told Wprost that the group did not intend to back down, and that the critical stance from party authorities had in fact mobilized participants rather than deterred them.

PiS governed Poland from 2015 to 2023 under a series of governments led by Beata Szydło and then Mateusz Morawiecki. The party lost power following the October 2023 parliamentary elections, after which Donald Tusk formed a coalition government. According to sources cited in the articles, internal tensions within PiS between factions associated with Morawiecki and opponents informally labeled "butter-makers" had been ongoing since at least November 2025. The party has historically maintained strict internal discipline under Jarosław Kaczyński's leadership, with control over electoral list placement serving as a key instrument of party authority.