The leader of Poland's ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) will resign from his government post at the beginning of 2022, state-run news agency PAP reported on Wednesday. Jarosław Kaczyński informed PiS lawmakers of his decision at a meeting of the parliamentary party on Wednesday and said he needed to devote more time to his post as party leader.
Chairman of Poland's ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), Jarosław Kaczyński, on Wednesday took part in the party parliamentary club meeting, held as usual ahead of a Sejm session.
At the meeting, Kaczyński informed PiS lawmakers he would step down as deputy prime minister in the beginning of 2022 and said he needed to devote more time to his post as party leader.
"The chairman said, that due to his function as deputy PM, he visited party headquarters once a week, and that it wasn't enough," a PiS lawmaker told PAP.
Another informed that Kaczyński also called upon PiS politicians to be more active in social media.
"He stressed that PiS had won the 2015 election thanks to online presence, among other things. Same thing happened in 2019, but this channel has recently been neglected and this needs to change as soon as possible," the MP said.
Although widely seen as Poland's de facto ruler, Kaczyński, 72, serves in the government as deputy prime minister responsible for national security and defence, a post he took up in October 2020.
Asked in September by PAP if he was planning to leave the cabinet, PiS chairman said he certainly wouldn't until the end of this year, adding he was focused on projects relating to common defence duty.
"When these bills are proceeded or passed, I will consider returning to my proper job, which is leading the party," Kaczyński told PAP in September.
Poland's right-wing governing party remains ahead in opinion polls, thanks partly to its generous social benefit programmes, despite a deepening conflict with the European Union over the rule of law, LGBT rights and media freedoms.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters, PAP