Mariusz Witczak, a Member of Parliament from the Civic Platform, slipped from first place in the previous Sejm elections to seventh on the current list, clearing room for several other politicians. Local activists told PAP that labeling this as slander against him would be inappropriate.
Witczak falls to 7th place. “The choice was made by Donald Tusk”
PAP attempted to reach MP Witczak to gauge his view on his electoral prospects and the fact that he was placed seventh on the list. The parliamentarian did not answer the phone.
On Wednesday, the national board of the Civic Coalition announced candidates for the Sejm and Senate from its lists. Unlike in prior elections, when the Kalisz-Leszczyński district had the PO’s input shaping the list, this year the final arrangement left the Kalisz structures without influence.
The decision rested with Donald Tusk and his inner circle
one local PO activist told PAP.
In the end, the top spot went to Jarosław Urbaniak from Ostrów Wielkopolski, who also serves as Deputy Secretary General of the PO. In second place stood Karolina Pawliczak, who had left the left in June. Third place went to a district councilor.
“This is plainly slander against him.”
Local PO activists said they expected Witczak to receive a diminished position on the list, but they did not anticipate seventh.
They described it as a direct slander against him.
The Pawliczak dispute
According to them, a press conference that Witczak held a few weeks earlier, in which he criticized Karolina Pawliczak, could backfire on him.
Tusk might not appreciate this, they commented.
When Witczak was asked at a Kalisz conference whether Pawliczak had been invited to run on the list, he replied that he knew nothing about it and suggested that the left would be a better fit for her.
Their simple position was this: the MP should return to the left as soon as possible and engage in talks with the left. They argued that the placement on the list should not trigger unnecessary controversy. They pointed out that voters who supported Pawliczak would be disappointed, and the fairest approach to respect voters and democracy was to realign with the left.
Witczak’s remarks drew criticism from fellow party members. PO MP Jarosław Urbaniak said he was surprised by his colleague’s comments.
“It seems to me that our electorate expects unity from us and broad, joint elections. During list-building, pre-election activities, or the campaign period, I do not judge other people who are candidates within the same camp,” he stated.
The discussion around the Civic Coalition’s list continued as party members weighed local dynamics and national strategy.
A local journalist, Marcin Spętany, suggested that Witczak’s low ranking could reflect voter impatience with local PO performance and calls for personnel changes. He noted that the Kalisz platform has strong local support, citing past results in presidential elections and Witczak’s own track record. At the same time, he pointed to ongoing disagreements within the local structure and the need for better cohesion after a history of limited local governance involvement.
The broader context shows a party facing tensions between national leadership decisions and local expectations. As the Civic Coalition moves to field a unified slate, questions about leadership roles, candidate selection, and regional supports will shape the political terrain in Kalisz and beyond.
In sum, Witczak’s seventh-place position highlights both national-level decision-making and local political dynamics, underscoring the ongoing balance between party leadership strategy and the preferences of local voters.