Petru Plans New Liberal Party to Capture Confederation Voters

Ryszard Petru, who previously led the liberal Nowoczesna party, is re-entering the Polish political arena with ambitions to establish a new political movement. Tentatively named 'Konfederacja light,' the proposed party aims to carve out a niche by appealing to free-market voters, particularly those who currently align with the Confederation party but are reportedly put off by its anti-European Union and nationalist rhetoric.

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We want to be a party for the orphans of the free-market Civic Platform, filling the gap left by the Third Way and taking some of the free-market voters from the Confederation, who are bothered by the anti-EU and nationalist slogans of Mentzen's formation.

Petru's political journey has seen shifts since his initial success. Nowoczesna, under his leadership in 2015, secured 7.6% of the vote, earning 28 seats in the Sejm. At one point, the party's support neared 20%, with Petru positioning himself as a leader of the opposition. However, the party's support waned, leading to Petru's departure and Nowoczesna eventually merging with Civic Platform (PO) in 2025.

Petru returned to politics in 2023 as part of the Third Way coalition, representing Polski 2050. He secured a Sejm seat but later left the coalition, joining the Centrum club. His current initiative, 'Konfederacja light,' is envisioned as a pragmatic, economically focused, and pro-European force. "We want to be a party for the orphans of the free-market Civic Platform, filling the gap left by the Third Way and taking some of the free-market voters from the Confederation, who are bothered by the anti-EU and nationalist slogans of Mentzen's formation," stated one of the project's initiators.

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Such a grouping should be created for the good of our entire coalition, based on what the Centrum association is today. But I didn't say it would be tomorrow.

A recent poll conducted by SW Research for rp.pl indicates potential interest in Petru's new venture. While 64% of respondents stated they would not consider voting for such a party, 13.3% indicated they would. Notably, 27% of voters aged 18-24 expressed they would consider voting for a party founded by Ryszard Petru, suggesting a potential demographic for his new political project.

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Yes, 13.3% of respondents answered. 64% of respondents answered no. 22.8% of respondents have no opinion on this matter.