POLAND

ELECTIONS IN 2005

<<< Return to the Historical Archive page of parliamentary elections results for Poland <<<

Chamber:

Sejm

Dates of election / renewal (from/to):

25 September 2005

Purpose of elections:

Elections were held for all the seats of the Sejm on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.

Background and outcome of elections:

On 25 September 2005, parliamentary elections were held for both chambers of the Polish Parliament: the 460-seat lower house (Sejm) and the 100-seat Senate (Senat), in parallel with presidential elections. Since the fall of communism in 1989, no government had ever been re-elected in this country of 38.5 million inhabitants.

The left-wing coalition government formed after the 2001 elections was originally composed of Prime Minister Marek Belka's Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), which was the successor of the communist Polish United Workers Party, and the Labour Union (UP). This coalition held 216 seats in the Sejm and 75 seats in the Senate. The Polish Peasant Party (PSL), holding 42 seats in the lower house and 4 seats in the upper house, also joined the coalition later on.

The outgoing government had come to power promising to deal with unemployment, which had reached 16 per cent. In May 2004, Mr. Belka was sworn in as prime minister after the then prime minister, Mr. Leszek Miller, resigned due to corruption scandals soon after Poland's accession to the European Union (EU). Mr. Belka's policies included tax cuts and an increase in social spending, but these reforms were reportedly hampered by disagreements within his party. Despite the increase in foreign investments following the country's accession to the EU, unemployment remained high due to the Polish baby boom of the early 1980s. It stood at about 18 per cent in July 2005, the highest among the EU Member States. Long-running corruption scandals involving the SLD took the centre stage during the election campaign. Following the scandals, some SLD members left the party in 2004 and formed the Polish Social Democracy-Labour Union Greens Coalition (SdPl); it joined forces with the UP for the 2005 elections.

The main rivals of the outgoing government were two centre-right parties, the Civic Platform (PO), led by Mr. Donald Tusk, a known free market advocate, and the more conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, led by Mr. Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The two parties had won 65 and 44 seats respectively in the Sejm in the 2001 elections. Mr. Tusk and Mr. Kaczynski's twin brother, Mr. Lech Kaczynski, were also candidates in the presidential election of October 2005. The two parties announced that they would seek to form a coalition government, although they proposed different tax policies during the election campaign. The PO called for tax reform, including a flat 15 per cent rate for income tax, corporate tax and VAT. The party also advocated more deregulation and privatization in order to adopt the European single currency, the euro, as soon as possible. The PiS proposed milder changes, including the introduction of tax breaks and State assistance for the poor.

On election day about 40 per cent of the country's 30 million eligible voters turned out. Turnout has been declining steadily since 1989, when it was recorded at 62 per cent.

The final results showed major progress for the PiS and the PO, which won 155 and 133 seats respectively in the Sejm, and 49 and 34 seats in the Senate. Self-Defense, a populist grouping advocating State-funded agriculture and an increase in government social programmes, came in third in the Sejm with 56 seats. The SLD suffered a heavy defeat, retaining only 55 seats in the Sejm and none in the Senate. These elections marked the left's worst results since its establishment as reformed communists in 1990.

After the first round, the PiS leader, Mr. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, announced that he would not accept the post of prime minister in order to avoid jeopardizing his twin brother's presidential campaign. On 19 October, President Aleksander Kwasniewski formally asked Mr. Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz of the PiS to become prime minister.

On 20 October, Mr. Bogdan Borusewicz, an independent senator supported by the PiS, was elected president of the Senate during the inaugural session of parliament. The PiS and the PO, however, failed to agree on a common candidate for a new president of the Sejm before the first session.

The run-off presidential election held on 23 October recorded a 50.91% turnout. Mr. Lech Kaczynski beat Mr. Tusk by securing 54.04 per cent of the votes.

On 26 October 2005, Mr. Marek Jurek of the PiS was elected president of the Sejm , with the backing of the PiS, Self-Defense, the League of Polish Families (LPR), the Polish Peasant Party (PSL), and one independent member.

The PiS and the PO were unable to agree on the formation of a coalition government. Consequently, the new prime minister, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, formed a one-party minority government on 31 October. On 10 November 2005, Prime Minister designate Marcinkiewicz won a vote of confidence in the Sejm, with support from the same groups as the previous vote, as well as from five of six independent parliamentarians.

STATISTICS


Round no 1 (25 September 2005): Election results
Number of registered electors		30'229'031
Voters		12'263'640 (40.57%)
Blank or invalid ballot papers		458'964
Valid votes		11'804'676



Round no 1: Distribution of votes

Political Group	Candidates	Votes	%
Law and Justice (PiS)		3'185'714	26.99
Civic Platform (PO)		2'849'259	24.14
Self-Defense		1'347'355	11.41
Left Democratic Alliance (SLD)		1'335'257	11.31
League of Polish Families (LPR)		940'762	7.97
Polish Peasant Party (PSL)		821'656	6.96
German Minority		34'469	0.29


Round no 1: Distribution of seats

Political Group				Total
Law and Justice (PiS)				155
Civic Platform (PO)				133
Self-Defense				56
Left Democratic Alliance (SLD)				55
League of Polish Families (LPR)				34
Polish Peasant Party (PSL)				25
German Minority				2

Comments:

Sources:
- Chancellory of the Sejm (09.03.2006)
- http://www.sejm.gov.pl/
- http://www.senat.gov.pl
- Polish Inter-Parliamentary Group (29.09.2005)
- National Electoral Commission: http://www.wybory2005.pkw.gov.pl/index_EN.html
- BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Distribution of seats according to age:
Under 30 years: 25
30 to 39 years: 80
40 to 49 years: 171
50 to 59 years: 157
Over 60 years: 27

*German Minority members are considered as non-affiliate since a minimum of three members is needed to form a political group in the Sejm.
After the election, two members of the Civic Platform (PO) joined the Law and Justice (PiS) party. One member of the PO was expelled from the party and consequently became a non-affiliated member. Two members of the League of Polish Families (LPR) were expelled from the party.
As of February 2006, there are five non-affiliated members as follows:
- German Minority: 2
- Former members of the PO: 1
- Former members of the LPR: 2

Distribution of seats according to sex:

Men:

366

Women:

Percent of women:

20.43

Distribution of seats according to age:

Distribution of seats according to profession:

Civil/public servants/administrators (including social/development workers)		97
Educators		64
Engineers/PC experts		58
Liberal professions (including artists, authors) and sports professionals		57
Economists		51
Business/trade/industry employees, including executives		50
Medical professions (doctors, dentists, nurses)		28
Scientists		22
Farmers/agricultural workers (including wine growers)		18
Media-related professions (journalists/publishers)		6
Liberal professions		6
Architects		1
Military/police officers		1
Consultants (including real estate agents)		1

<<< Return to the Historical Archive page of parliamentary elections results for Poland <<<