Although he is no longer at the head of the government, Jaroslaw Kaczynski is still considered an important power puller in Poland. Now the head of the ruling party PiS is announcing his retirement.

The head of Poland’s national-conservative governing party PiS, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, intends to step down from his position as Deputy Prime Minister in the near future. Kaczynski announced this, government spokesman Michal Dworczyk told Radio Zet on Monday.

However, he did not know the exact date. “Everything indicates that this moment is getting closer.” At the party convention over the weekend, Kaczynski said he wanted to focus on domestic affairs and lead the election campaign as party leader, Dworczyk continued. The next parliamentary elections in Poland are scheduled for autumn 2023.

The 72-year-old Kaczynski has been Deputy Prime Minister since October 2020 and coordinates the areas of internal security and defense. Kaczynski was Prime Minister of Poland from 2006 to 2007. Since his party took power again in 2015, he has been considered a key player in Polish politics.