Pole Kaczynski leaves government post to focus on party leadership

WARSAW, October 13 (Reuters) – Leader of Poland’s ruling party Jaroslaw Kaczynski on Wednesday said he would step down from his government post to devote more time to leading the party, two sources in the know told Reuters of the file, confirming a report published by the official news agency. PAP agency.

Kaczynski, 72, is widely regarded as Poland’s de facto ruler and will remain key to the leadership of the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party as he contemplates parliamentary elections in 2023, while facing a majority unstable parliament and aggravating conflicts with the European Union. Union.

“He wants to devote himself to the party,” said one of the sources.

PAP reported that Kaczynski said at a meeting of the PiS parliamentary group that he would step down from his government post in early 2022.

The twin brother of the late President Lech Kaczynski, who died in a plane crash in 2010, returned to government in October 2020 as Deputy Prime Minister responsible for national security and defense.

PiS spokespersons could not be reached immediately for comment.

The party remains top in opinion polls, in part thanks to its generous welfare programs, despite growing conflict with the EU over accusations that the far-right PiS has put the state in jeopardy. rights, media freedoms and LGBT rights.

Reporting by Alan Charlish, Anna Koper, Pawel Florkiewicz Editing by Gareth Jones and Mark Heinrich

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.