>**The former prime minister turned MEP Beata Szydło disagreed with her PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński’s approach to finding a candidate for next year’s presidential election, marking an unusual show of defiance towards the powerful politician.**
>With Poland’s incumbent president, Andrzej Duda, the PiS (ECR) candidate for 2015 and 2020, due to end his second and final term next year, talk of who might be the country’s next president has begun, with PiS already showing signs of division over who might be the best candidate.
>“I believe that a woman is just as capable of running for president and has a chance of winning,” she told private radio station RMF FM on Wednesday – a clear reference to remarks made in late August by Kaczyński, who said only a man could be suitable for the role, although she did not mention him by name.
>Kaczyński, who rules his PiS party with a firm grip and will have a decisive say in the nomination for the 2025 elections, told the PiS-leaning Catholic broadcaster Radio Maryja in late August that the dream candidate would be a “young, tall and good-looking” man with a family who spoke at least two foreign languages and had a good command of English.
>In particular, the difficult security situation caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine – which would fall under the president’s remit as commander-in-chief of the armed forces – meant that, in his view, a candidate could not be a woman. “In wartime conditions, a woman would not have much of a chance,” he added, admitting that he was even finding it difficult to find a suitable female candidate.
>“I believe there are many individuals within our political camp who would be well-suited for the role,” he told the broadcaster in late August.
>**Szydło cites Harris**
>Szydło, who was once the PiS leader’s favourite for high-ranking positions and took the lead in the government when the PiS came to power in 2015, disagreed with Kaczyński’s comments, even citing current US Vice President and Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris as an example.
>“If the argument is that a woman should not be president in wartime, I would say that right now, woman is the leading candidate for the presidency of the world’s most powerful country, which plays a crucial role in NATO,” Szydło stressed.
>Although Szydło did not directly name Kaczyński in her comments, challenging the party leader – even indirectly – is unusual and could be a sign of growing tensions within PiS after the party lost power last December.
>**Seeking worthy opponent**
>Poland’s ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, has also yet to choose a candidate.
>However, it is still unclear whether the parties will agree on a single candidate or whether each party within the coalition will run separately.
>For now, the most likely candidate is current Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski (Civic Coalition, EPP), who is known as a polyglot and highly educated man. Trzaskowski is a former MEP and minister for European affairs, and the PiS wants to find a worthy opponent for him.
>“We have candidates who are proficient in both English and French, just like our likely opponent in the second round,” Kaczyński said, adding that the candidate “must have international experience, someone who is at ease in a global environment, who has attended conferences and lectures.”
>Kaczyński also reiterated that Mateusz Morawiecki could not be presented as the party’s presidential candidate because his role as a former prime minister and the tough decisions he had to make make him an easy target for PiS opponents.
>“He would make it to the second round, but it would take a miracle for him to win,” he admitted.
>Euractiv has previously reported that Morawiecki is vying for the leadership of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) party, a role currently held by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which would be a source of comfort for Morawiecki if he is not chosen as his PiS’s presidential candidate.
n1123581321 on
Rebellion in conservative “old guard” part of PiS? Well, that is quite unexpected, but I also don’t predict their success. Party is far too leader-oriented for that. For now, I grab popcorn and watch how events play out.
Ninjox17 on
It’s fascinating how we still have no clue at all who will be the candidate. Duda was announced in November and certified in December, so it’s not like we’re super late with this, but the circumstances are very different.
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!ping POLAND
>**The former prime minister turned MEP Beata Szydło disagreed with her PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński’s approach to finding a candidate for next year’s presidential election, marking an unusual show of defiance towards the powerful politician.**
>With Poland’s incumbent president, Andrzej Duda, the PiS (ECR) candidate for 2015 and 2020, due to end his second and final term next year, talk of who might be the country’s next president has begun, with PiS already showing signs of division over who might be the best candidate.
>“I believe that a woman is just as capable of running for president and has a chance of winning,” she told private radio station RMF FM on Wednesday – a clear reference to remarks made in late August by Kaczyński, who said only a man could be suitable for the role, although she did not mention him by name.
>Kaczyński, who rules his PiS party with a firm grip and will have a decisive say in the nomination for the 2025 elections, told the PiS-leaning Catholic broadcaster Radio Maryja in late August that the dream candidate would be a “young, tall and good-looking” man with a family who spoke at least two foreign languages and had a good command of English.
>In particular, the difficult security situation caused by the ongoing war in Ukraine – which would fall under the president’s remit as commander-in-chief of the armed forces – meant that, in his view, a candidate could not be a woman. “In wartime conditions, a woman would not have much of a chance,” he added, admitting that he was even finding it difficult to find a suitable female candidate.
>“I believe there are many individuals within our political camp who would be well-suited for the role,” he told the broadcaster in late August.
>**Szydło cites Harris**
>Szydło, who was once the PiS leader’s favourite for high-ranking positions and took the lead in the government when the PiS came to power in 2015, disagreed with Kaczyński’s comments, even citing current US Vice President and Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris as an example.
>“If the argument is that a woman should not be president in wartime, I would say that right now, woman is the leading candidate for the presidency of the world’s most powerful country, which plays a crucial role in NATO,” Szydło stressed.
>Although Szydło did not directly name Kaczyński in her comments, challenging the party leader – even indirectly – is unusual and could be a sign of growing tensions within PiS after the party lost power last December.
>**Seeking worthy opponent**
>Poland’s ruling coalition, led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, has also yet to choose a candidate.
>However, it is still unclear whether the parties will agree on a single candidate or whether each party within the coalition will run separately.
>For now, the most likely candidate is current Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski (Civic Coalition, EPP), who is known as a polyglot and highly educated man. Trzaskowski is a former MEP and minister for European affairs, and the PiS wants to find a worthy opponent for him.
>“We have candidates who are proficient in both English and French, just like our likely opponent in the second round,” Kaczyński said, adding that the candidate “must have international experience, someone who is at ease in a global environment, who has attended conferences and lectures.”
>Kaczyński also reiterated that Mateusz Morawiecki could not be presented as the party’s presidential candidate because his role as a former prime minister and the tough decisions he had to make make him an easy target for PiS opponents.
>“He would make it to the second round, but it would take a miracle for him to win,” he admitted.
>Euractiv has previously reported that Morawiecki is vying for the leadership of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) party, a role currently held by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which would be a source of comfort for Morawiecki if he is not chosen as his PiS’s presidential candidate.
Rebellion in conservative “old guard” part of PiS? Well, that is quite unexpected, but I also don’t predict their success. Party is far too leader-oriented for that. For now, I grab popcorn and watch how events play out.
It’s fascinating how we still have no clue at all who will be the candidate. Duda was announced in November and certified in December, so it’s not like we’re super late with this, but the circumstances are very different.