New direction for Civic Platform?

“It’s time for a new start,” Schetyna told RMF radio on Wednesday morning, adding that “it’s a matter of weeks” before the party comes up with something for the new political season, expected to kick off in October.

The move comes after Jaroslaw Gowin – who fronted Civic Platform’s conservative wing and recently missed out on taking over the leadership of the party in an internal ballot – quit the party on Monday.

Schetyna said that Gowin led his leadership campaign too aggressively, “and then he stood aside from Civic Platform”.

“I find it strange that one can be a candidate for the head of Civic Platform, gain over 20 percent of the votes from members who trust in the political ideas for the party, and then after a few days one leaves […],” mulled Schetyna in the interview.

Another thorn in the side of Civic Platform – whose coalition with the junior Polish Peasants’ Party now has a majority of just two seats in the Sejm lower house of parliament – is the resounding win of a Senate by-election in the south-eastern Podkarpackie province by the conservative opposition Law and Justice. (jb)