Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced on Wednesday the creation of a new parliamentary group, marking a significant division within the country’s main conservative opposition party, Law and Justice (PiS). The newly formed bloc, named Development Plus, comprises 40 members of parliament and one senator, Morawiecki said during a press conference in Warsaw.

Morawiecki emphasized that the group’s mission is to focus on Poland’s development while preserving the nation’s conservative identity. The move comes amid ongoing internal conflicts within PiS, the right-wing populist party that governed Poland from 2015 until 2023.

PiS implemented extensive judicial reforms during its time in power, which drew criticism and legal challenges from the European Commission concerning the rule of law in Poland. Despite losing the 2023 parliamentary elections, PiS remains the largest opposition faction in the Polish parliament.

Prior to the formation of Development Plus, PiS held 181 seats in the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, and 33 seats in the Senate. The formation of the new bloc significantly reduces PiS’s parliamentary strength and reflects a deeper rift within the party’s leadership.

This split follows a power struggle between Jarosław Kaczynski, the 77-year-old founder and longtime leader of PiS, and Morawiecki, 58, who served as prime minister during much of PiS’s tenure in government. The development signals potential shifts in Poland’s political landscape as both figures vie for influence within the conservative political sphere.