European Parliament elections 2024. The most interesting clashes between politicians – KO, PiS, Trzecia Droga, Left, Confederation

District electoral commissions accepted applications for lists of electoral committees until 4 p.m. These commissions have three days to check the correctness of the applications, including verification of signatures of support. Information on the lists of candidates in the European Parliament elections is regularly updated on the National Electoral Commission's website, but their final number will only be known in the coming days.

READ ALSO: The deadline for submitting candidates for the European elections has passed. So many committees issued lists

In recent days, representatives of the KO, PiS, Third Way, Left and Confederation committees have presented their candidates for MEPs and announced that they will issue lists in all constituencies; District electoral commissions have not yet completed the process of registering the lists of these committees.

Szymon Ossowski, a political scientist from the Faculty of Political Science and Journalism of the Adam Mickiewicz University, commenting on the shape of the electoral lists on TVN24, pointed out that the two main parties to the political dispute – PiS and the Civic Coalition – include “well-known, proven names” on the lists.

Below we present the most interesting rivalries in each of the 13 electoral districts.

In the encompassing circle Pomeranian Voivodeship there will be an electoral clash between the well-known “ones” from KO, PiS and Konfederacja.

It opens the KO list Janusz Lewandowskiin the years 2010-2014, EU Commissioner for the Budget, and in the early 1990s, Minister of Ownership Transformations.

At the top of the PiS list is an MEP Anna Fotyga, in the past, among others, the head of Polish diplomacy. Second place goes to the former deputy minister of culture Jarosław Sellinand the third – an MP Kazimierz Smoliński.

The list of the Confederation opens here with an MP Przemysław Wiplerone of the most recognizable politicians of this group.

In this circle, encompassing Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Among other things, we will have a duel Krzysztof Brejza (“number one” of the Civic Coalition) z Kosma Złotowski (“number one” of PiS). Brejza is currently an MEP, but he took up his mandate recently, and previously he was, among others, an MP and a senator. Brejza became the face of the victims of Pegasus surveillance. His name was one of the first to appear in the public space in the context of people against whom this tool was used, and he himself spoke about it many times in the media.

Złotowski is one of the most experienced PiS MEPs. He has been a member of the European Parliament continuously since 2014. The politician will fight for a third term.

In this circle, encompassing Podlasie and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, PiS will open the list Maciej Wąsik, former deputy head of the CBA and the Ministry of Interior and Administration. It is in second place Karol Karskicurrent MEP from this constituency.

The “one” of the Third Way will be here Paweł Zalewski, representative of Poland 2050, currently deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense, long-time MP who has also served in the European Parliament in the past. It was in the years 2009-2014.

Opens the KO list here Jacek ProtasMP for several terms, currently also Secretary of State at the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy.

Ward number 4 covers Warsaw and surrounding counties.

The Civic Coalition has a strong representation here. The letters are opened by the head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration Marcin Kierwińskiand number two is here Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltzformer mayor of Warsaw and former president of the National Bank of Poland, who in “Fakty po Faktach” on TVN24, she admitted that she had to make the decision to run “actually within one day”. It ranks third on the list Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz, a member of parliament associated primarily with issues related to the rule of law, currently serving as head of the Sejm Committee on Justice and Human Rights, and also a member of the National Council of the Judiciary on behalf of the Sejm. The KO list also included, among others, an MP Michał Szczerba, currently chairman of the parliamentary investigative committee investigating the visa scandal. Szczerba, together with another candidate in these elections, MP Dariusz Joński, became famous during the previous term of the Sejm for numerous parliamentary inspections in government institutions, revealing many controversial matters, related, among others, to the so-called the ventilator scandal and the purchase of these devices from an arms dealer.

PiS opens its list in this district Małgorzata Gosiewska, in the past, among others, deputy speaker of the Sejm. The “one” of the Third Way is Michael Koboskoone of the closest collaborators of the Speaker of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia.

However, he is at the top of the Left's list Robert Biedrońco-chairman of the New Left, who will run for re-election because he won the MEP's seat for the first time in 2019.

Ward number 5 covers other counties of the Masovian Voivodeship. There will be, among other things, an electoral clash between the “number one” of the Civic Coalition, an MEP running for re-election. Andrzej Halicki with the “number one” of PiS, which it is Adam Bielanin the past, among others, deputy speaker of the Senate and author of the party's election campaigns.

He was also on the PiS lists Jacek Kurski, a long-time politician of this party, in the past responsible for the party's election campaigns, and during most of PiS's rule in 2015-2023, the president of Telewizja Polska, famous for its extreme politicization at that time. That is why Kurski is one of the candidates for the European Parliament from Kaczyński's party, around whom there is the most controversy.

They will compete for votes in this district, among others, with the MP Anna Maria Żukowskachairwoman of the Left Club in the current term of the Sejm, who is fighting for her first mandate as an MEP.

In the constituency covering Łódź Voivodeship there will be a duel Dariusz Joński with KO, currently the chairman of the parliamentary investigative committee on envelope elections, with an MEP and in the past, among others, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Witold Waszczykowski from PiS.

They will also fight for votes, among others, with the Left wing, which opens the list Marek BelkaMEP since 2019, and in the past, among others, Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and President of the National Bank of Poland.

In this district, covering the Greater Poland Voivodeship, there will be an electoral clash between, among others, the former prime minister who opens the KO list, the Speaker of the Sejm and the Minister of Health Ewa Kopacz with the “number one” of PiS, which it is Wojciech Kolarski, currently presidential minister.

The Third Way Letters are opened here by the current Minister of Development Krzysztof Hetmanand the Left – deputy minister of culture and national heritage Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus.

In this circle, encompassing Lublin provincewill face, among others, “one KO”, an MP Marta Wcisło with, until recently, an MP, a long-time head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration and the minister coordinating special services Mariusz Kamiński, which is the “number one” of PiS. Kamiński's candidacy is one of the most widely commented because this politician, together with his long-time deputy Maciej Wąsik, were legally convicted by the court for exceeding their powers in connection with the so-called “land scandal” and pursuant to this decision they ceased to be MPs. They themselves maintain that they are still MPs and that depriving them of their MP mandates was illegal and of a political nature.

The clash at… promises to be interesting Podkarpacie. The “one” of the Civic Coalition here is a long-time MEP Elżbieta Łukacijewska, and opens the PiS list Daniel Obajtek, former president of PKN Orlen, over whom many dark clouds have recently appeared related to the investigations into the company that are ongoing in the prosecutor's office. National prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk said that “three main proceedings” are ongoing in the Orlen case. He pointed to the merger of Orlen with Lotos, low fuel prices in the fall of 2023 and the transfer of over PLN 1.5 billion without supervision to Orlen Trading Switzerland (OTS).

There will be interesting clashes in the encompassing district Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeships.

“One” of the Civic Coalition is here Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, until recently the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, and in the past, among others, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He will face the former prime minister who opens the PiS list Beata Szydło.

The “one” of the Third Way here will be a PSL MEP, this party's candidate for president in 2015 Adam Jarubas. The Left's list in this district is opened by the deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Andrzej Szejna.

On Silesia KO's list is opened by the Minister of State Assets, who was also the chairman of the Civic Platform in the past Borys Budka.

At the top of the PiS list was an experienced MEP Jadwiga Wiśniewska. The “one” of the Third Way will be the MP Michał Gramatykaand of the Left – an MP Maciej Konieczny.

He will also run for the European Parliament from this constituency Janusz Korwin-Mikke, a politician present on the Polish political scene for over 30 years, founder and long-time leader of several parties, most recently an MP of Confederation, although he failed to get re-elected in the 2023 elections. Korwin-Mikke was already an MEP in 2014-2018. Korwin-Mikke will be the leader of the list of the Nonparty Local Government-Normal Poland in Normal Europe committee. – I am starting from this place because I am fighting for Polish fuel and for Polish children to study in a normal school – said the politician.

PiS list in constituency no. 12, including Lower Silesian and Opole voivodeshipsopens the MEP Anna Zalewskain second place is an MEP Beata Kempaand in subsequent places, among others, the former head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister Michal Dworczyk and former Minister of Sports Kamil Bortniczuk.

The list of the Civic Coalition opens here with the former Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewskithe “number one” of the Third Way is an MEP Rose Thun, and of the Left – an MP and deputy minister of justice Krzysztof Śmiszek.

Open the list of Confederations here Stanisław Tyszkain the past, among others, Deputy Speaker of the Sejm.

In district no. 13, including Lubusz and West Pomeranian Voivodeshipsthe leader of the PiS list is an MEP Joachim Brudzińskiin second place – MEP Elżbieta Rafalska.

The leader of the Civic Coalition's list is here Bartosz Arłukowiczin the past, among others, Minister of Health, Third Way – Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Michał Kamińskiand the Left – Włodzimierz Cimoszewiczwho in the past held the positions of Prime Minister, Speaker of the Sejm and Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.