Party leader Jarosław Kaczyński presented Czarnek as the figure who will lead the party’s effort to return to power, stressing the need for a candidate capable of coordinating the party’s activities and uniting its political base.
“The person who leads the effort to win the election must be someone capable of integrating all the party’s actions,” Kaczyński said during the convention.
The event took place at the historic headquarters of the Polish Gymnastic Society ‘Sokół’, a venue previously used by PiS to introduce its presidential candidates, including Andrzej Duda and Karol Nawrocki.
Przemysław Czarnek, 48, is a lawyer, academic, and long-time member of PiS. He lectures at the Catholic University of Lublin, eastern Poland, and has served as a member of Poland’s parliament since 2019. In June 2025, he was elected one of the party’s vice presidents.
Before entering national politics, Czarnek served as the voivode of the Lublin region. He later became minister of education and science in October 2020 in the second government led by former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, a position he held until 2023.
The nomination quickly drew a response from Prime Minister Donald Tusk, leader of the governing Civic Coalition. Commenting on the decision on the social media platform X, Tusk suggested the move indicated a reinforcement of right-wing political forces opposing the current government.
Recent polling indicates a competitive political landscape ahead of the next election. According to a United Surveys by IBRiS poll conducted for Wirtualna Polska, the governing Civic Coalition leads with 30.6 percent support, while Law and Justice stands at 23.5 percent. The far-right Confederation party is backed by 12.2 percent of respondents, followed by Grzegorz Braun’s Confederation of the Polish Crown with 8.4 percent. The Left party would receive 7.7 percent support.
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SOURCE: IAR; PAP