During Martial law he was arrested and imprisoned for two months as a result of his participation in the Bydgoszcz events.

After his release Bartoszcze acted in the All-Poland Peasants Resistance Committee and was an editor of newspaper Żywią i bronią.

The same year he ran for President and lost with 1,176,175 votes (7,15%), winning fifth place among six candidates that fall.

In 1991 he left PSL and founded small conservative Polish People's-Christian Forum "Fatherland".

Re-elected Sejm member in 1991 from Center Civic Alliance he retired from politics with his term ended in 1993.