2023 Polish parliamentary election
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This article documents a current election. Information may change rapidly as the election progresses until official results have been published. Initial news reports may be unreliable, and the last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. |
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All 460 seats in the Sejm 231 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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All 100 seats in the Senate 51 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parliamentary elections were held in Poland on 15 October 2023 to elect members of the Sejm and Senate.[1] Alongside the elections, a referendum containing four questions, namely concerning European Union immigration policy, was held.[2] However, many opposition leaders including Donald Tusk & Szymon Hołownia, the leaders of the Civic Coalition and Third Way respectively, have stated that the referendum is 'another step towards the final death of direct democracy'[3] and is propaganda material in favour of the incumbent Law and Justice party, cementing its' status as a soft-Eurosceptic populist faction.[4]
The previous election in 2019 resulted in the re-election of a majority Law and Justice (PiS) government, albeit without a majority in the Senate. PiS will try to win a record third term.
Background
2019 Polish parliamentary election
The 2019 parliamentary election saw a record high turnout, with over 60% of registered electors participating. It also saw the centre-left, in the form of Lewica (Lewica) entering the Sejm after four years on the outside looking in. It also saw the far-right, united under the Konfederacja (Kon) banner, enter one of the two chambers of parliament for the first time since the 2005 elections.[5].
Right-wing parties, coalesced around the ruling national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) within the United Right (ZP) alliance, won the highest percentage of votes ever received since the complete return to democracy in 1991, maintaining their majority in the Sejm, but losing it in the Senate. The PiS party president, Jarosław Kaczyński, thus saw his position as the country’s strongman strengthened, despite occupying no governmental position. This result saw the second reelection of a majority government since the fall of the Eastern Bloc. Despite not defeating PiS, the main opposition party, the liberal Civic Platform (PO), itself within the Civic Coalition (KO) alliance, progressed in the senate, though without winning a majority of seats on its own. The opposition altogether did win a majority of seats in the senate, thanks to Lewica, the Polish Coalition (PSL) and independent candidates’ gains.[5][6]
One month after the vote, the incumbent Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, formed his second government. Its composition showed the so called "moderate" right strengthened, which Morawiecki was part of, alongside a weakening of the "radical" right, lead by the Justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro. This strategy was mainly to seduce the more moderate electorate for the 2020 Polish presidential election.[7] Morawiecki’s government received the Sejm’s confidence on 19 November with 237 votes for, 214 against and three abstentions. [8][9].
2020 presidential election
The 2020 presidential election saw the reelection of incumbent president Andrzej Duda, himself a member of Law and Justice. Originally planned in May, the elections were very affected by the then ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The government’s proposal to maintain the election in May but only through postal votes launched a strong polemic, with the opposition denouncing the unequal campaigning capacities of the incumbent president compared to other candidates within the context of the lockdown and quarantine measures. The election was then postponed to late June following a compromise within the ruling coalition and the opposition’s approval, partly thanks to the latter’s control of the Senate.[10]
Despite the pandemic, both rounds of voting saw higher turnouts, with Duda facing the Mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, a member of Civic Platform. The ballotage saw Duda beat Trzaskowski, with the former gathering 51% of the votes and the latter gathering 49%. These results were the most closely fought presidential elections since the return of democracy.[11]
Duda’s victory allows PiS take advantage from his presidential veto in case of an opposition victory in the legislative elections, with the opposition needing a three fifths majority, which currently amounts to 276, to override one.[12].
Electoral system
The President of Poland set the election day to be Sunday, 15 October 2023.[13] This date is consistent with requirements posed in Article 98 Section 2 of the Polish Constitution, whereby the election is to take place within the last 30 days of the current term of Parliament (ending 11 November 2023). The vote ought to be held on a non-working day, also public holidays. Other possible dates included: 22 October, 29 October, 1 November, 5 November and 11 November.[14]
The process of election for the Sejm is through party-list proportional representation via the D'Hondt method in multi-seat constituencies,[15] with a 5% threshold for single party (KW) and citizen committees (KWW) and 8% threshold for coalitions (KKW). National minority committes, such as the German minority, are waived from the requirement of accomplishing a nation-wide 5% result, and only need to do so in their electoral constituency, in this specific case Opole.
Senators are elected by first-past-the-post method in 100 constituencies. Most of the opposition (Civic Coalition, New Left and Third Way) signed a so-called senate pact, under which the parties agreed to enter one commonly accepted candidate in each district.[16] This strategy has previously granted them 51 seats despite losing the Sejm.[17]
Lists
Electoral committees registered in all constituencies
Electoral committees registered in more than one constituency
List | Ideology | Political Position | Leader | # of constituencies | Candidates | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sejm | Senate | ||||||||
7 | PJJ | There is One Poland Polska Jest Jedna |
Right-wing populism Vaccine hesitancy |
Right-wing | Rafał Piech | 39 | 579 | 4 | |
9 | RDiP | Peace and Prosperity Movement Ruch Dobrobytu i Pokoju |
Populism Economic nationalism |
Big tent | Maciej Maciak | 11 | 155 | 3 | |
10 | NK | Normal Country Normalny Kraj |
Anti-establishment Right-wing populism |
Right-wing | Wiesław Lewicki | 4 | 61 | 1 |
Electoral committees registered in a single constituency
List | Ideology | Political Position | Leader | Parliamentary leader | 2019 result | Current number of seats | Constituency | Candidates | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes (%) | Seats in Sejm | Sejm (list) | Senate (list) | Sejm | Senate | ||||||||
AP | Anti-party Antypartia |
Anti-establishment Direct democracy |
Centre | Marek Ciesielczyk | N/A | N/A | 0 / 460
|
0 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
8 – Zielona Góra | 16 | 0 | |
MN | German Minority Mniejszość Niemiecka |
Minority interests | Centre | Ryszard Galla | Ryszard Galla | 0.2%[c] | 1 / 460
|
1 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
21 – Opole | 24 | 1 | |
RNP | Repair Poland Movement Ruch Naprawy Polski |
Populism | Centre | Romuald Starosielec | N/A | N/A | 0 / 460
|
0 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
18 – Siedlce | 16 | 3 |
Electoral committees with candidates only for the Senate
List | Ideology | Political Position | Leader | Candidates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MP | Mirosław Piasecki Candidate for Senator RP Mirosław Piasecki Kandydat na Senatora RP |
Populism[19] Single-winner voting[20] |
Centre-right[21] | Mirosław Piasecki | 2 | |
ND-T | New Democracy - Yes Nowa Demokracja - Tak |
Economic progressivism Regionalism |
Centre-left to left-wing | Marek Materek | 5 | |
PS'23 | Senate Pact Independents Pakt Senacki 2023 |
Pro-Europeanism Localism |
Big tent | N/A | 6 | |
PL 2050 | Poland 2050[d] Polska 2050 |
Social liberalism | Centre-left | Włodzimierz Zydorczak | 3 | |
Piraci | Polish Pirate Party Polska Partia Piratów |
Pirate politics Freedom of information |
Centre | Janusz Wdzięczak | 1 | |
PO | Civic Agreement Porozumienie Obywatelskie |
Civic engagement | Centre | Andrzej Dyszewski Rafał Skiba |
2 | |
ŚR | Silesians Together Ślonzoki Razem |
Localism Silesian autonomism |
Centre-left | Leon Swaczyna | 2 | |
WiS | Free and Solidary Wolni i Solidarni |
Solidarism Conservatism |
Right-wing | Jan Miller | 3 | |
W | Wolnościowcy[e] | Libertarianism Minarchism |
Right-wing | Artur Dziambor | 1 | |
Z | United Zjednoczeni |
Solidarism Economic nationalism |
Left-wing | Wojciech Kornowski | 2 | |
ZChR | Union of Christian Families Zjednoczenie Chrześcijańskich Rodzin |
National conservatism Political Catholicism |
Far-right | Bogusław Rogalski | 5 | |
ZS | Slavic Union Związek Słowiański |
Agrarianism Economic nationalism |
Syncretic | Zbigniew Adamczyk | 2 | |
Other electoral committees with a single candidate | 21 |
Electoral committees withdrawn before the election
Liberal Poland – Entrepreneurs' Strike has registered electoral lists in 17 constituencies, however on 13 October 2023 the committee has announced its intention to withdraw from the race. The committee's candidates will appear on the ballot, although votes for them will be counted as invalid.[22]
List | Ideology | Political Position | Leader | # of constituencies | Candidates | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sejm | Senate | ||||||||
8 | PL!SP | Liberal Poland – Entrepreneurs' Strike Polska Liberalna Strajk Przedsiębiorców |
Libertarianism Populism |
Centre-right | Paweł Tanajno | 17 | 321 | 0 |
Electoral committees
Within the stipulated deadline for submitting electoral committees, 94 committees were applied for registration, of which 85 were registered: 2 coalitions, 40 political parties and 43 voters. 46 committees declared running for both the Sejm and the Senate, 3 only for the Sejm and 36 only for the Senate.[23][24]
Type | Committee | Status | Sejm lists | Senate lists | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Party | Confederation Liberty and Independence | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
2 | Party | New Left[f] | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
3 | Party | Nonpartisan Local Government Activists | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
4 | Party | Liberal Poland Entrepreneurs' Strike | Fielded lists | Yes | No |
5 | Party | Patriots Poland | Registered | Declared | No |
6 | Party | There is One Poland | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
7 | Coalition | Civic Coalition PO .N iPL Zieloni | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
8 | Party | Slavic Union | Fielded lists | Declared | Yes |
9 | Party | Freedom Party | Registered | Declared | Declared |
10 | Coalition | Third Way PSL-PL2050 of Szymon Hołownia | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
11 | Party | Law and Justice | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
12 | Party | Social Movement AGROunia Yes | Self-dissolved[g] | Declared | Declared |
13 | Party | Non-partisans | Registered | Declared | Declared |
14 | Party | Anti-party | Fielded lists | Yes | Declared |
15 | Party | Union of Christian Families | Fielded lists | Declared | Yes |
16 | Party | United | Fielded lists | Declared | Yes |
17 | Party | Responsibility | Registered | Declared | Declared |
18 | Party | Normal Country | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
19 | Voters | Prosperity and Peace Movement | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
20 | Party | Free Europe | Registered | Declared | Declared |
21 | Party | Poland 2050[d] | Fielded lists | Declared | Yes |
22 | Party | Repair of Poland Movement | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
23 | Party | Piast - Unity of Thought of European Nations and the World | Registered | Declared | Declared |
24 | Voters | German Minority | Fielded lists | Yes | Yes |
25 | Party | Silesians Together | Fielded lists | Declared | Yes |
26 | Party | Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland | Registered | Declared | Declared |
27 | Voters | Andrzej Dziuba - Senate Pact | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
28 | Party | Polish Pirate Party | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
29 | Voters | Pact Senate for Citizens | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
30 | Voters | Marcin Nowak | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
31 | Party | New Hope | Registered | Declared | Declared |
32 | Voters | Krzysztof Kwiatkowski - Senate Pact | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
33 | Voters | Krzysztof Lechowski | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
34 | Voters | Civic Pact Lasecki | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
35 | Voters | Lidia Staroń - Always on the Side of People | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
36 | Voters | Robert Roguski | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
37 | Voters | "Future of Poland" | Rejected | No | Declared |
38 | Party | Free and Solidary | Fielded lists | Declared | Yes |
39 | Voters | Independent Candidate Dawid Borowiak | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
40 | Voters | Polish Anti-war Movement | Rejected | No | Declared |
41 | Voters | Mirosław Augustyniak Candidate For Senator of the Republic of Poland | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
42 | Voters | Dariusz Męczykowski | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
43 | Voters | Jan Maria Jackowski | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
44 | Party | People's Party "Ojcowizna" RP | Registered | Declared | Declared |
45 | Party | Congress of the New Right | Registered | Declared | Declared |
46 | Voters | Prof. Joanna Senyszyn | Registered | No | Declared |
47 | Voters | Professor Krzysztof Gutkowski | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
48 | Party | New Democracy - Yes | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
49 | Voters | Wadim Tyszkiewicz - Senate Pact | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
50 | Voters | Civic Agreement | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
51 | Party | Social Alternative | Registered | Declared | Declared |
52 | Voters | Our Left | Fielded lists | Declared | Yes |
53 | Party | The Right | Registered | No | Declared |
54 | Voters | Zygmunt Frankiewicz - Senate Pact | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
55 | Voters | Beata Mnich | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
56 | Party | Self-Defence | Registered | Declared | Declared |
57 | Voters | Józef Zając | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
58 | Party | Wolnościowcy | Fielded lists | Declared | Yes |
59 | Voters | Jerzy Markowski | Registered | No | Declared |
60 | Voters | Liberal Democracy | Registered | Declared | Declared |
61 | Party | Republican Party | Registered | Declared | Declared |
62 | Party | Silesian Regional Party | Registered | Declared | Declared |
63 | Party | Unity of Poles Movement | Registered | Declared | Declared |
64 | Voters | Lucyna Kulińska in the Service of the Republic | Registered | No | Declared |
65 | Voters | Non-partisan Anti-system | Fielded lists | Declared | Yes |
66 | Voters | Yes for Senate RP Jan Kuriata | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
67 | Voters | Mirosław Piasecki Candidate For Senator of the Republic of Poland | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
68 | Voters | of Zamojszczyzna | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
69 | Voters | Nonpartisan Local Government Activists of Galicia | Registered | Declared | Declared |
70 | Party | Fourth Republic of Poland | Registered | Declared | Declared |
71 | Voters | Social Poland | Registered | Declared | No |
72 | Party | Public Interest | Registered | Declared | Declared |
73 | Voters | Believe in Poland | Registered | Declared | Declared |
74 | Voters | E-parliament-New Civilization | Registered | No | Declared |
75 | Voters | Independent is Alive | Registered | Declared | Declared |
76 | Voters | Kajetan Gornig | Registered | No | Declared |
77 | Voters | Mariusz Kazimierz Wójtowicz | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
78 | Voters | Mateusz Pazdan "Cooperation and Honesty" | Rejected | No | Declared |
79 | Party | Conservative Party | Registered | Declared | Declared |
80 | Voters | Candidate of the Mountain Land | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
81 | Voters | From Greater Poland to the Senate | Registered | No | Declared |
82 | Party | National Movement | Registered | Declared | Declared |
83 | Voters | Krzysztof Wawrzyniec Borkowski Senate Pact | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
84 | Voters | Greater Poland Senate Initiative | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
85 | Voters | Together for Częstochowa | Registered | Declared | Declared |
86 | Voters | Royal Cities | Rejected | No | Declared |
87 | Voters | European Left | Fielded lists | No | Yes |
88 | Voters | "Royal Senate" | Rejected | No | Declared |
89 | Party | "Piast" Faction | Registered | Declared | Declared |
90 | Voters | Local Government Initiative Together | Registered | Declared | Declared |
91 | Voters | Fair Elections | Rejected | Declared | Declared |
92 | Voters | ROP | Rejected | Declared | Declared |
93 | Voters | Dr Rafał Stachura - Senate Pact | Rejected | No | Declared |
94 | Party | Compatriots | Registered | Declared | Declared |
Timeline
With the President setting the election date to be 15 October 2023, the following schedule was approved by the National Electoral Commission (PKW):[25]
Timeline of the 2023 Polish parliamentary election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Opinion polls
Results
Sejm
Party | |
---|---|
United Right | |
Third Way | |
Confederation Liberty and Independence | |
Civic Coalition | |
New Left | |
There is One Poland | |
Nonpartisan Local Government Activists | |
German Minority Electoral Committee | |
Peace and Prosperity Movement | |
Normal Country | |
Repair Poland Movement | |
Anti-party | |
Total | |
Source: National Electoral Commission |
Senate
Party | |
---|---|
Mirosław Piasecki Candidate for Senator RP | |
New Democracy - Yes | |
Senate Pact 2023 | |
Poland 2050 | |
Polish Pirate Party | |
Civic Agreement | |
Silesians Together | |
Free and Solidary | |
Wolnościowcy | |
United Beyond Boundaries | |
Union of Christian Families | |
Slavic Union | |
Total | |
Source: National Electoral Commission |
Notes
- ^ Including 40 members of the KO caucus and 1 independent senator
- ^ Including 4 members of the PSL-Polish Coalition caucus and 1 member of the PL2050 caucus
- ^ National minority committees are not subject to the 5% threshold.
- ^ a b Not related to Poland 2050 of Szymon Hołownia.
- ^ Individual candidates running on Third Way and Confederation lists.
- ^ The Left registered its committee under the New Left party to circumvent the 8% electoral threshold for electoral coalitions.
- ^ New Democracy - Yes left the coalition after AGROunia announced it will run on Civic Coalition lists.
References
- ^ "Poland to hold parliamentary election on 15 October". www.euractiv.com. 2023-08-09. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
- ^ "Poland unveils referendum on EU migrant policy – DW – 08/13/2023". dw.com. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
- ^ "Referendum 2023. Najważniejsze pytania i odpowiedzi – tvn24– 8/15/2023". tvn24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ "Hołownia: kartka referendalna w tej formie będzie ulotką wyborczą PiS – tvn24– 10/11/2023". tvn24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ a b "Poland election: Ruling Law and Justice party win poll". BBC News. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ Stegmaier, Mary; Marcinkiewicz, Kamil (18 October 2019). "Poland's Parliament is now divided. What does this mean for the ruling Law and Justice party?". Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ Iwaniuk, Jakub (14 November 2019). "En Pologne, l'opposition conquiert le Sénat et freine la « révolution conservatrice » du PiS" [In Poland, the opposition wins the Senate and slows PiS’ "conservative revolution"]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Our goal is Polish prosperity state: PM". Telewizja Polska. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2023..
- ^ "New government receives vote of confidence". Telewizja Polska. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ François, Jean-Baptiste (27 March 2020). "En Pologne, la controverse du maintien de l'élection présidentielle". la-croix.com (in French). Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ Walker, Shaun (13 July 2020). "Duda narrowly re-elected in Poland in boost for ruling nationalists". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Konwencja PO. Budka proponuje Koalicję 276. "Tyle głosów potrzebnych do przejęcia władzy"" [PO Convention, Budka proposes a coalition for 276: "so many votes will be needed to get in power"]. gazetapl (in Polish). Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Prezydent: podjąłem decyzję o zarządzeniu wyborów do Sejmu i Senatu na dzień 15 października 2023 roku". Polska Agencja Prasowa SA (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- ^ "Znamy cztery daty, kiedy wybory 2023 mogą się odbyć. "Decyzję podejmie prezydent"".
- ^ "Election Resources on the Internet: Elections to the Polish Sejm, Part I". electionresources.org. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
- ^ "Opozycja zawarła pakt senacki. Co to konkretnie oznacza?". www.polityka.pl (in Polish). 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- ^ "Pakt senacki. Politycy opozycji mają "postawić kropkę nad i"". Onet Wiadomości (in Polish). 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
- ^ "Koalicyjny Klub Parlamentarny Lewicy (Nowa Lewica, PPS, Razem) - Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej". www.sejm.gov.pl.
- ^ "Lokalny antysystemowiec" (PDF). Głos Wielkopolski (in Polish). 23 July 2020. p. 19.
- ^ Tomasz Barylski (3 September 2023). "Śremianin wystartuje w wyborach parlamentarnych. Przedsiębiorca z Lucin, Mirosław Piasecki będzie się ubiegać o mandat senatora". naszemiasto.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Lokalny antysystemowiec" (PDF). Głos Wielkopolski (in Polish). 23 July 2020. p. 19.
Moje drogi z Ruchem Kukiz'15 się rozeszły, ale moje zaangażowanie oraz idee, z którymi działałem się nie zmieniły – dodaje.
[My paths with the Kukiz'15 Movement have diverged, but my commitment and the ideas with which I acted have not changed," he adds.] - ^ "Ten komitet nie wystartuje w wyborach. Nagła decyzja tuż przed wyborami".
- ^ "Wykaz zawiadomień o utworzeniu komitetu wyborczego złożonych Państwowej Komisji Wyborczej w związku z wyborami do Sejmu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej i do Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej zarządzonymi na dzień 15 października 2023 r." (PDF).
- ^ "Komitety w wyborach do Sejmu i Senatu w 2023 r."
- ^ "Wybory do Sejmu i Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w 2023 r." wybory.gov.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-10-15.