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.

“The time has now come for me to focus more fully on the challenges facing my beloved Poland,” he wrote. Morawiecki has served in the largely ceremonial role since January 2025, when he replaced Meloni.

Morawiecki led a breakaway from the PiS party after forming an internal splinter group called Development Plus (Rozwój Plus) which pushes for a more moderate stance in the face of a growing far-right fringe in Polish politics. He is expected to make a speech on Friday that could clarify the group’s next steps.

It remains unclear whether Morawiecki and his allies have been formally expelled from PiS, although he considers their departure has de facto already happened.

Senior MEP Adam Bielan, who leads the PiS delegation in the European Parliament, is being discussed as a possible contender, while fellow MEP Tobiasz Bocheński is also said to be in the running, according to party insiders.

The ECR is within touching distance of the Patriots, currently the Parliament’s third-largest group. Losing the three MEPs aligned with Morawiecki – Piotr Müller, Michał Dworczyk and Waldemar Buda – would weaken its chances of overtaking Jordan Bardella’s bloc.

“I think they will stay,” a senior ECR member told Rapporteur, pointing to efforts to build up the group ahead of Parliament’s midterm elections next January. “I don’t want to lose it,” the MEP added.

(cs)