Nowa Lewica suspends Piotr Kusznieruk and seeks his expulsion

In brief

• Nowa Lewica chairman Włodzimierz Czarzasty suspended Piotr Kusznieruk and asked the party court to expel him.
• The party cites a gross breach of its statute, without specifying the conduct involved.
• Critics link the move to Kusznieruk's frequent appearances on TV Republika; the party has not confirmed this link.

Suspension and the party's stated reason

On Friday, Nowa Lewica chairman Włodzimierz Czarzasty suspended Piotr Kusznieruk in his rights and duties as a party member, citing a gross violation of the party statute. The party's spokesman, Łukasz Michnik, announced the decision on the social network X, and the chairman also sent a motion to the party court asking for Kusznieruk's expulsion (Czarzasty nie miał litości. Kusznieruk zawieszony w prawach członka partii – RMF24) (Lewica chce się pozbyć Kusznieruka. Zemsta za przychodzenie do Republiki? – msn.com) (Czarzasty podjął decyzję: Piotr Kusznieruk zawieszony – Wirtualna Polska).

The statute article cited gives the party leader the power to suspend a member for a gross breach of the statute. It does not specify what conduct counted as that breach, which leaves the stated grounds open (Lewica chce się pozbyć Kusznieruka. Zemsta za przychodzenie do Republiki? – Niezależna).

Events behind the decision

The move followed an incident outside the Constitutional Tribunal's building in Warsaw linked to a programme broadcast by Telewizja Republika, in which Kusznieruk took part. Men dressed as militiamen came onto the stage where the guests were sitting. One of them made a mocking announcement about a party leader keeping the situation under control.

Kusznieruk reacted on Republika, saying the facts would eventually be established, including the state of the Tribunal and how well police in Kraków had prepared for the event. He said the matter would have to wait for a historical verdict (Kusznieruk odpowiedział wierchuszce Lewicy. "Trudno. Fakty są uparte" – msn.com) (Kusznieruk odpowiedział wierchuszce Lewicy. ″Trudno. Fakty są uparte – Niezależna).

Political context

Critics argue that Kusznieruk's regular appearances on a broadcaster aligned with the right make the suspension look like retaliation. The party has not publicly linked the decision to his TV work. The official grounds remain the statute breach cited in the announcement.

The case now goes to the party court, which will decide whether to expel him. Kusznieruk remains suspended until that process is complete.