PiS infighting is having consequences at EU level
Mateusz Morawiecki, the former Polish prime minister, has stepped down as president of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) party.
The move comes after he led a rebellion against his Law & Justice party back home, widely viewed as a strategic attempt to position himself before Poland’s election next year. After PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński named Przemysław Czarnek as the party’s prime ministerial candidate, Morawiecki and around 40 allies subsequently refused to sign an oath of fealty to the party.
Brothers of Italy MEP Carlo Fidanza will automatically take over as party president until a permanent successor is found. Party insiders said the change is unlikely to upset the balance of power between Italians and Poles, as the ECR’s day-to-day operations are already led by Italian secretary general Antonio Giordano.
The ECR, which is led by PiS and Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, posted Morawiecki’s letter of resignation as party president online on Tuesday evening.
