A confrontation over the future direction of Poland’s Law and Justice party escalated on July 24, 2026, as its leadership said more than 30 lawmakers had effectively ended their membership. Allies of former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki contested that account, leaving the status of the politicians at the center of the dispute openly disputed.
Longtime party leader Jarosław Kaczyński said the lawmakers had resigned after a deadline passed for them to commit not to belong to other political associations. He said Law and Justice’s political committee would meet the following Tuesday to acknowledge the outcome. Polish outlet Polsat reported that Kaczyński referred to roughly 30 lawmakers, with 36 being discussed at that stage.
Piotr Müller, a Law and Justice member of the European Parliament who supports Morawiecki, offered a conflicting version. He wrote on X that no party members associated with Development Plus had actually resigned from Law and Justice. Morawiecki said he and other participants in the association had not discussed creating a new party and still needed to consider their future plans.
Association becomes focus of internal struggle
Morawiecki, who served as Poland’s prime minister from 2017 to 2023, established Development Plus in April. The association drew suspicion within Law and Justice, according to the Associated Press. A meeting between Morawiecki and Kaczyński on the Thursday before the announcement did not settle their differences.
Kaczyński portrayed the association as connected to an earlier proposal to divide the party. He said its activities could instead have been pursued through an internal forum or policy group within Law and Justice. Those assertions were the party leader’s characterization of the dispute and were rejected by figures aligned with Morawiecki.
The disagreement quickly broadened into public accusations among prominent party members. Polsat reported that Mariusz Błaszczak alleged Morawiecki and Michał Dworczyk had opposed a 2020 Defense Ministry agreement to obtain F-35 aircraft. Dworczyk dismissed that allegation. Law and Justice spokesperson Rafał Bochenek also claimed Morawiecki had sought to block the aircraft purchase and the 500+ program. the cited reports did not independently establish those allegations.
Morawiecki, meanwhile, accused Jacek Sasin of engaging in intrigue after finding him present at what Morawiecki had expected to be a private meeting with Kaczyński. Sasin responded by criticizing Morawiecki’s past relationship with Donald Tusk, while Müller called Sasin an obstacle to an agreement. These exchanges underscored the personal as well as strategic divisions within the opposition party.
Law and Justice governed Poland from 2015 until 2023, when a liberal government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk took office. The party holds 186 of the 460 seats in the Sejm, the lower chamber of parliament. It faces a national election the following year and competition from parties positioned further to its right.
The dispute therefore concerns both membership rules and Law and Justice’s electoral direction. Kaczyński and Morawiecki represent competing centers of influence, with Morawiecki associated with a comparatively moderate faction. As of the historical date, the available reporting showed no agreed account of whether the lawmakers had formally resigned and no confirmed decision by Morawiecki’s group to establish a separate party.
