Polish Law and Justice Party suspends MP Szymon Giżyński amid Częstochowa referendum clash

Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jarosław Kaczyński suspended MP Szymon Giżyński after the lawmaker publicly criticised the party’s local structures in Częstochowa. Giżyński, a former deputy minister, said he accepted the suspension and thanked local officials for their support.

PiS regional chief Lidia Burzyńska announced that the party’s district board backs a referendum to recall Częstochowa mayor Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk and the city council. The initiative requires 15,900 signatures by 17 August. Giżyński and other PiS members praised the effort, describing it as a move to destabilise the city’s administration.

Mayor Matyjaszczyk, a member of the Left coalition, was detained by the Central Anti‑Corruption Bureau and faces bribery charges, though a court barred his arrest. He remains barred from office, with his deputy Zdzisław Wolski acting as interim mayor. The dispute reflects growing tensions between PiS’s national leadership and its local branches in Poland.