At Saturday’s Law and Justice convention in Kraków’s „Sokół” hall, Jarosław Kaczyński announced that Przemysław Czarnek will lead the party into the 2027 parliamentary elections as its candidate for prime minister.
„We must form a new government. I am deeply convinced that the right man for this moment is Professor Przemysław Czarnek” — declared the PiS leader, presenting the former education minister as the party’s candidate for head of government.
The choice of venue was no coincidence. It was in the „Sokół” hall that Kaczyński previously announced his party’s presidential candidates — Andrzej Duda and Karol Nawrocki. This time history came full circle, but the prize at stake is the prime minister’s chair.
Who Is Przemysław Czarnek?
Przemysław Czarnek was born on June 11, 1977, in Koło. He is a PiS MP, a professor at the Catholic University of Lublin (KUL), and a former Minister of Education and Science. He previously served as Governor of Lublin Province. The 48-year-old politician is full of energy and, uniquely among members of the internal „butter” faction, has spent recent months avoiding open conflict with Mateusz Morawiecki.
Czarnek accepted the nomination with visible enthusiasm, though he was careful to acknowledge his place in the party hierarchy. „I am to be the train driver, but the conductor of this train is and will remain President Jarosław Kaczyński” — said the candidate.
A Strategy of a Right-Wing Turn
Kaczyński’s decision is a calculated political move. The goal is to unite a divided party, energize its structures, and set a clear direction — a sharp turn to the right. Kaczyński intends to reclaim at least some of the disillusioned voters lost to the Confederation and Korona Polska, pushing the party back toward 30 percent support and once again overtaking the Civic Coalition.
According to analysts, the decision to name Czarnek is an attempt to address one of PiS’s key problems — the drift of a portion of its voters further to the right. In this strategy, Czarnek is expected to mobilize the conservative electorate and recapture votes from the competition.
Kaczyński needs a candidate who is popular, can ensure unity within the PiS electorate, and will be acceptable to potential coalition partners. Morawiecki was not suited for this role — so the party leader turned to Czarnek.
A Charged Atmosphere and Sharp Words
The Kraków convention had a distinctly combative tone. The atmosphere at the event was exceptionally heated — PiS politicians left the hall energized and visibly pleased with the new direction. After the speeches by the party leader and the prime ministerial candidate, emotions among activists reached fever pitch. Kaczyński himself summed it up with a single word: „fire.”
During his address, Czarnek stated that „we are openly governed by a pro-German faction,” and responding to Prime Minister Tusk’s remarks about „thick-skulled” opponents, he declared: „Better thick-skulled than empty-headed.”
A Risky Gamble
Not everyone in the party is thrilled with the choice. A candidate with such outspoken views will face a bumpy road to the prime minister’s office — he will certainly drive thousands of alarmed liberals to the polls, people who might not have bothered to vote against a more moderate PiS candidate. Kaczyński is therefore playing a risky game.
Skeptics within the party are not hiding their concerns: „He has all of PiS’s flaws and none of the qualities that would push us forward. We’re stewing in our own juices,” grumbled one activist.
With a year and a half of hard work ahead, the question remains: can Przemysław Czarnek lead the party to electoral victory? Only time will tell. One thing is certain — Polish politics has just entered a new, more sharply defined chapter.
