Poland: Member of Confederation may throw a wrench into the coalition’s presidential run

Grzegorz Braun is perhaps best known for putting out Hanukkah candles on the floor of the Polish parliament

Grzegorz Braun on the right. (Source: Wikipedia)
By Liz Heflin
3 Min Read

Grzegorz Braun’s possible run in the presidential elections caused a huge row in the Confederation, reports Do Rzeczy.

According to the paper, MEP Prof. Mirosław Piotrowski told Onet, “I confirm that Grzegorz Braun will run for the President of the Republic of Poland. I can also add that the convention will take place after the collection of signatures.”

Braun is a staunch nationalist and Catholic, a member of The Crown, and known for controversial views in the past, including against Jews.

Last January, Remix News reported that the Polish parliament had removed Braun’s immunity, with the Warsaw District Prosecutor’s Office intending to press several charges against him, related to incidents spanning 2022-2023, including one incident in which he put out Hanukkah candles in the Sejm with a fire extinguisher.

While Braun has been rumored to be running for president for a while, the MEP himself has not yet confirmed that he will. 

The move is said to be creating a stir in the circle of Sławomir Mentzen, the New Hope chairman and also a member of the Confederation coalition. “Braun wants to blackmail us. He wants to extort more money and positions. He is threatening that he may run and is sending a signal that in this way he may harm Mentzen in the elections. Because let’s not kid ourselves, Braun would take some support away from Mentzen,” one New Hope politician told Onet. 

“We don’t know what Braun is doing. We have no contact with him. Anyone who knows Sławomir Mentzen knows that Sławek will not let anyone blackmail him. Mentzen will definitely not call Braun,” he claims.

The Council of Confederation Leaders is meeting this week. There are expectations that the National Movement will act as a negotiator, trying to reconcile The Crown (Grzegorz Braun) and New Hope (Sławomir Mentzen). 

“If Braun decides to run, we do not rule out that there will be a discussion about excluding Braun from the Confederation coalition. (…) In (the Nationalist’s) opinion, Braun should not run in the elections, because it will weaken the Confederation and Mentzen’s position in the presidential race” claims the Onet informant. 

Braun is expected to announce his decision to run in the election this week and has the support of foreigner New Hope chairman and “paleolibertarian” Janusz Korwin-Mikke.

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