Parliamentary vote and results

The Polish Sejm held a vote on 18 September 2026 to fill a vacant Deputy Marshal seat, setting two right-wing opposition candidates against each other. Marcin Horała from the Rozwój Plus parliamentary club secured 254 votes, comfortably exceeding the required absolute majority of 215. His rival, former Deputy Defence Minister Marcin Ociepa of Law and Justice (PiS), received 167 votes. Horała gained backing from governing coalition lawmakers, including 149 members of the Civic Coalition parliamentary club. The vote resolved a leadership vacancy that had remained open since November 2023, when the Sejm rejected previous PiS nominee Elżbieta Witek.

Marcin Horała254

Marcin Ociepa167

Marcin Horała

254 votes

Marcin Ociepa

167 votes

Data from the article text

Kaczyński accuses Morawiecki of cooperation with Tusk

The outcome prompted a public reaction from PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński, who published a statement on social media platform X condemning the result. Kaczyński asserted that former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki broke away from PiS specifically to initiate talks with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. He claimed the election of Horała violated parliamentary conventions and urged conservative voters to return to PiS.

“I have long wondered why M. Morawiecki broke PiS. Today we already know that in addition to personal ambitions, the goal was to start talks with Tusk.”

Kaczyński also argued that the vote proved PiS remains the only political force capable of halting the government's agenda. Political scientist Antoni Dudek observed that the governing coalition voted strategically to deepen the conflict between PiS and Rozwój Plus.

Rozwój Plus rejects accusations and targets interior minister

Lawmakers from Rozwój Plus rejected claims of backroom deals with the parliamentary majority. Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk stated that PiS candidate Ociepa had spoken directly with Civic Coalition leaders ahead of the ballot. Waldemar Buda cited historical precedent, noting that former Sejm Marshal Marek Kuchciński was elected deputy speaker in 2010 with 389 votes and in 2011 with 439 votes by Civic Platform majorities. In an interview on Polsat News, Horała maintained that his club had not solicited coalition votes.

“A licensed opposition is one that favors the government. It is hard to favor the government more than by attacking the opposition. So as of today, the licensed opposition is rather PiS.”

Horała also announced that Rozwój Plus prepared a motion of no confidence against Minister of the Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwiński. The motion cites shortcomings in civil defence warning systems, the South Hospital affair involving Dawid Kacprzyk, and statements regarding police involvement at the Constitutional Tribunal. Kierwiński rejected the accusations on TVN24, stating that law enforcement operates strictly under the legal framework.

Right-wing factional shifts in the Sejm

The vote follows months of reorganization across right-wing benches after the registration of the Rozwój Plus association in the National Court Register in May 2026. More than 40 parliamentarians loyal to Morawiecki formed an independent parliamentary club in late July 2026 after refusing Kaczyński's demand to exit external associations. Earlier on 18 September 2026, MP Sławomir Skwarek left Rozwój Plus to rejoin the PiS parliamentary club, adjusting the count to 40 members for Rozwój Plus and 147 for PiS. Morawiecki has scheduled a founding convention for 15 October 2026 to launch a formal political party.