Polish parliamentary election, 2007
Encyclopedia
Early parliamentary elections for both houses of parliament (Sejm and Senat) were held in Poland
on 21 October 2007 after the Sejm
voted for its own dissolution on 7 September 2007. The election took place two years before the maximum tenure of four years, with the previous elections having been in September 2005. All parties voted for dissolution except the two junior coalition partners in the former government, the League of Polish Families
and Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland
. All 460 seats in the Sejm and all 100 seats in the Senate were up for election.
The election was won by the largest opposition group, the Civic Platform
, which soundly defeated the ruling Law and Justice
party. Throughout the campaign, the polls showed conflicting results as to which of the two parties had the greater support, but by the closing week the polls had swung in favour of the Civic Platform. Three other groupings entered the Sejm, the centre-left Left and Democrats
coalition, the agrarian Polish People's Party, and the tiny 'German minority' group. Both of Law and Justice's former minor coalition partners, the League of Polish Families
and the Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland
suffered a huge voter backlash thereby failing to cross the 5% electoral threshold, for elections to the Sejm. Consequently they lost all their seats.
The turnout of the elections was 53.8% an increase of 13.2% from the 2005 elections, and saw the highest voter frequency in Polish parliamentary election since the semi-free elections of 1989.
nationwide. These were:
Three other parties managed to register in at least one district:
On 26 September 2007, the leader of the National Party of Retirees and Pensioners
, Tomasz Mamiński
announced his party's withdrawal from the campaign, stating that Polish electoral law and media bias discriminate against smaller parties.
Although only the ten parties mentioned above openly contested elections to the lower house Sejm, there were other groups which entered the race for elections to the lower house. It is common practice in Polish elections for many smaller parties to register their candidates on the electoral committee lists of the larger parties contesting the election. Hence:
29 political groupings and independents contested the elections to the Senate.
The Greens registered in one district to the Senate (Katowice
), receiving 4.55% of votes.
Prime Minister and PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński stepped down from office on the 15th of November, and PO leader, Donald Tusk
, was sworn in as Poland's Prime Minister the following day. The Civic Platform formed a coalition majority government with the Polish People's Party.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
on 21 October 2007 after the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
voted for its own dissolution on 7 September 2007. The election took place two years before the maximum tenure of four years, with the previous elections having been in September 2005. All parties voted for dissolution except the two junior coalition partners in the former government, the League of Polish Families
League of Polish Families
The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
and Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland
Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland
Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland , abbreviated to SRP, is an agrarian political party and trade union in Poland led by Andrzej Lepper. Its platform combines left-wing populist economic policies with religious conservative social policies....
. All 460 seats in the Sejm and all 100 seats in the Senate were up for election.
The election was won by the largest opposition group, the Civic Platform
Civic Platform
Civic Platform , abbreviated to PO, is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Poland. It has been the major coalition partner in Poland's government since the 2007 general election, with party leader Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland and Bronisław Komorowski as President...
, which soundly defeated the ruling Law and Justice
Law and Justice
Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
party. Throughout the campaign, the polls showed conflicting results as to which of the two parties had the greater support, but by the closing week the polls had swung in favour of the Civic Platform. Three other groupings entered the Sejm, the centre-left Left and Democrats
Left and Democrats
Left and Democrats was a centre-left political coalition in Poland which was created on September 3, 2006, before the Warsaw municipal election of 2006. The coalition's aim was to provide an alternative for both the national-conservative Law and Justice party and the liberal-conservative Civic...
coalition, the agrarian Polish People's Party, and the tiny 'German minority' group. Both of Law and Justice's former minor coalition partners, the League of Polish Families
League of Polish Families
The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
and the Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland
Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland
Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland , abbreviated to SRP, is an agrarian political party and trade union in Poland led by Andrzej Lepper. Its platform combines left-wing populist economic policies with religious conservative social policies....
suffered a huge voter backlash thereby failing to cross the 5% electoral threshold, for elections to the Sejm. Consequently they lost all their seats.
The turnout of the elections was 53.8% an increase of 13.2% from the 2005 elections, and saw the highest voter frequency in Polish parliamentary election since the semi-free elections of 1989.
Contesting parties
Only 7 parties contested all 41 electoral districts for the SejmSejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
nationwide. These were:
- Law and JusticeLaw and JusticeLaw and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
(PiS) - Civic PlatformCivic PlatformCivic Platform , abbreviated to PO, is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Poland. It has been the major coalition partner in Poland's government since the 2007 general election, with party leader Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland and Bronisław Komorowski as President...
(PO) - Left and DemocratsLeft and DemocratsLeft and Democrats was a centre-left political coalition in Poland which was created on September 3, 2006, before the Warsaw municipal election of 2006. The coalition's aim was to provide an alternative for both the national-conservative Law and Justice party and the liberal-conservative Civic...
(LiD) - Polish People's Party (PSL)
- League of Polish FamiliesLeague of Polish FamiliesThe League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
(LPR) - Self-Defense of the Republic of PolandSelf-Defense of the Republic of PolandSelf-Defence of the Republic of Poland , abbreviated to SRP, is an agrarian political party and trade union in Poland led by Andrzej Lepper. Its platform combines left-wing populist economic policies with religious conservative social policies....
(SRP) - Polish Labour PartyPolish Labour PartyThe Polish Labour Party is a minor left-wing political party in Poland, describing itself as socialist. It was created on 11 November 2001 as the 'Alternative - Labour Party' and acquired its current name in 2004...
(PPP)
Three other parties managed to register in at least one district:
- Women's PartyWomen's Party (Poland)The Women's Party is a Polish political party which claims to represent the interests and concerns of women. It was registered on 11 January 2007 and is led by the well-known author Manuela Gretkowska...
(PK) — 7 districts; - Patriotic Self-DefensePatriotic Self-DefensePatriotic Self-Defense or Self-Defense Social Movement is a minor political party in Poland...
(SOP) — one district; - German MinorityGerman Minority (political party)German Minority is a political party of the German minority in Poland, in the mainly Polish part of Silesia. It is the political arm of the Social-Cultural Association of Germans in Silesian Opole and Social-Cultural Association of Germans in Silesian Voivodeship German Minority is a political...
(MN) — one district;
On 26 September 2007, the leader of the National Party of Retirees and Pensioners
National Party of Retirees and Pensioners
National Party of Retirees and Pensioners is a Polish minor left-wing political party.The main goal of KPEiR is protecting retired seniors, pensioners and trust-busting.The current leader is former Sejm Member Tomasz Mamiński....
, Tomasz Mamiński
Tomasz Maminski
Tomasz Mamiński is a Polish politician, a leader of the National Party of Retirees and Pensioners and former Sejm Member. He is a former deputy head of the Federated Parliamentary Club.- References :...
announced his party's withdrawal from the campaign, stating that Polish electoral law and media bias discriminate against smaller parties.
Although only the ten parties mentioned above openly contested elections to the lower house Sejm, there were other groups which entered the race for elections to the lower house. It is common practice in Polish elections for many smaller parties to register their candidates on the electoral committee lists of the larger parties contesting the election. Hence:
- LPR's lists include members of the League of Polish FamiliesLeague of Polish FamiliesThe League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
, Real Politics UnionReal Politics UnionThe Real Politics Union , abbreviated to UPR, was a free market-emphasizing conservative political party in Poland. It was composed of conservatives, libertarians and monarchists...
and Right of the Republic; - PiS's lists included members of the Polish People's Party "Piast", National People's Movement, Patriotic Movement, Centre PartyCentrum (Polish party)Partia Centrum is a centrist, moderately conservative political party in Poland. Established on 3 April 2004, its founding declaration proclaimed a "necessity to take immediate steps towards repairing the state and to radically change the style of politics." The party's platform can be described...
and Christian-National Union; - The SRP's lists include candidates from Piotr IkonowiczPiotr IkonowiczPiotr Ikonowicz, Dawid Goldsmith is a Polish leftist politician and one of the least successful candidates in the Polish presidential election, 2000.Ikonowicz was born May 14, 1956 in Pruszków near Warsaw...
's New Left party, Leszek MillerLeszek MillerLeszek Cezary Miller is a Polish central-left-wing politician, leader of the Democratic Left Alliance , Prime Minister of the government of the Republic of Poland in 2001-2004.-Childhood and youth:...
's Polish LeftPolish LeftThe Polish Left is a newly formed left-wing political party in Poland.Formation of Polish Left was announced on September 20, 2007 by former Prime Minister Leszek Miller, who said the new party will be a "true leftist" alternative for coalition Left and Democrats...
party and Zygmunt WrzodakZygmunt WrzodakZygmunt Wrzodak is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 18921 votes in 23 Rzeszów district, candidating from Liga Polskich Rodzin list.He was also a member of Sejm 2001-2005....
's National Congress of Poland; - LiD's lists include members from Democratic Left AllianceDemocratic Left AllianceDemocratic Left Alliance is a social-democratic political party in Poland. Formed in 1991 as a coalition of centre-left parties, it was formally established as a single party on 15 April 1999. It is currently the third largest opposition party in Poland....
, Social Democracy of Poland, Democratic Party - demokraci.plPartia Demokratyczna - demokraci.plThe Democratic Party , abbreviated to PD, is a centrist, liberal political party in Poland. It has no members of the Sejm, Senate, or European Parliament....
, Labour UnionLabour Union (Poland)The Labour Union is a social-democratic political party in Poland. It is a member of the Party of European Socialists and Socialist International....
, REASON of Polish Left, Democratic Left Party and Polish Socialist PartyPolish Socialist PartyThe Polish Socialist Party was one of the most important Polish left-wing political parties from its inception in 1892 until 1948...
; - The PPP lists include members of the Communist Party of Poland, Union of the Left, Polish Socialist PartyPolish Socialist PartyThe Polish Socialist Party was one of the most important Polish left-wing political parties from its inception in 1892 until 1948...
, REASON of Polish Left, Movement for Unemployed Protection and National Forum of Retirees and Pensioners.
29 political groupings and independents contested the elections to the Senate.
The Greens registered in one district to the Senate (Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
), receiving 4.55% of votes.
Results
After the elections
Consecutive postponements of the electoral silence's termination (initially planned for 8 PM) by the National Electoral Committee was widely criticized. The OSCE Election Assessment Mission stated that the elections demonstrate a democratic and pluralistic process, but challenges remain in oversight of the public media.Prime Minister and PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński stepped down from office on the 15th of November, and PO leader, Donald Tusk
Donald Tusk
Donald Franciszek Tusk is a Polish politician who has been Prime Minister of Poland since 2007. He was a co-founder and is chairman of the Civic Platform party....
, was sworn in as Poland's Prime Minister the following day. The Civic Platform formed a coalition majority government with the Polish People's Party.
See also
- Elections in 2007Elections in 2007-January 19: Democratic Republic of the Congo:- January 21 and 4 February: Mauritania:-January 25: Gambia:-February 9: Turks and Caicos Islands:- February 11: Turkmenistan :-February 25: Senegal:-March 4: Estonia:...
- Senate - the upper house
- Sejm - the lower house