Protesters march behind a banner reading "Stop Immigration. This is Poland" during a far-right rally in Warsaw, Poland, on Aug. 24, 2025. (Neil Milton / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Getty Images)For days, Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party has been consumed by a crisis of its own making. The party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, has now split into two ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.After months of internal tensions, the more moderate faction led by former Prime Minister was forced out by Przemysław Czarnek, the party's newly nominated prime ministerial candidate and leader of its more radical wing.The split weakens an opposition that had hoped to challenge Prime Minister Donald Tusk's coalition in next year's election, potentially improving the liberal government's chances of securing an unlikely second term.Przemyslaw Czarnek speaks during a press conference held by Law and Justice in Warsaw, Poland, on July 8, 2026. (Foto Olimpik / NurPhoto / Getty Images)"If this separation continues, PiS will lose dozens of seats to its competitors in the upcoming parliamentary elections, under any scenario," said Jarosław Flis, a Polish political scientist.According to the Ewybory poll tracker, Morawiecki's newly created party, Development Plus, is polling at around 5%. Meanwhile, Law and Justice (PiS) stands at 22%, down four percentage points from the previous poll.--ADD READ ALSO--Poland's far-right on the riseAfter months of internal disputes over issues ranging from military aid to Ukraine and broader geopolitical questions to domestic policies on agriculture, the economy, and the rise of the far right, Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party has finally split.On July 29, the camp led by Morawiecki confirmed their separation. The former prime minister announced that he and 40 lawmakers had formed a new parliamentary group, formalizing a split that had been expected for weeks.The same day, Morawiecki also stepped down as leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), one of the European Parliament's largest political groups.The breakup comes as Poland's far-right parties — Confederation and the Polish Crown — continue to gain support. Recent opinion polls suggest that, for the first time in two decades, Law and Justice is no longer the dominant force on the Polish right.