| Parliament name |
- |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Senat / Senate |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Sejm
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
21 October 2007 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats of the Senate following premature dissolution of the body on 8 September 2007. Elections to the Senate had previously taken place on 25 September 2005. |
Following the collapse of the ruling coalition in August
parliamentary elections were held on 21 October 2007
two years earlier than the official due date.
In the previous elections held in September 2005 in parallel with presidential elections
the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party
led by Mr. Jaroslaw Kaczynski
won 155 of the 460 seats in the Sejm (lower house)
while the Civic Platform (PO) led by a well-known free market advocate
Mr. Donald Tusk
took 133. The latter's presidential election rival and the PiS leader's twin brother
Mr. Lech Kaczynski
was elected as the country's new President.
The PiS and the PO
which won 49 and 34 seats respectively in the 100-member Senate
were unable to agree on the formation of a coalition government. Consequently
prime minister-elect
Mr. Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz (PiS)
formed a one-party minority government on 31 October 2005. His government won a vote of confidence in the Sejm on 10 November
with the support of the PiS
the Self-Defence Party (which won 56 seats in the Sejm
and three in the Senate)
the League of Polish Families (LPR
34 and seven seats respectively)
the Polish Peasant Party (PSL
25 and two seats)
as well as some independent parliamentarians.
However
Prime Minister Marcinkiewicz
known for his moderate economic and foreign policy
was reportedly in conflict with the country's President
Mr. Kaczynski. In July 2006
Mr. Marcinkiewicz resigned as Prime Minister
and was succeeded by the President's twin brother
Jaroslaw Kaczynski (PiS). The latter then formed a coalition with the Self-Defence Party
led by Mr. Andrzej Lepper and the LPR of Mr. Roman Giertych. The new government experienced tensions with the Russian Federation and the European Union
partly due to its resistance to the privatization of certain State-owned companies.
Mr. Kaczynski's government underwent a series of crises before it officially collapsed in August 2007. The Self-Defence Party leader and Agriculture Minister Mr. Lepper
was dismissed in July following corruption allegations
while Interior Minister Janusz Kaczmarek of the PiS was dismissed in August. Both coalition partners withdrew their ministers from the government. Mr. Kaczmarek was arrested in late August
accused of leaking classified information on the investigation into corruption charges brought against Mr. Lepper. Opposition parties accused the Prime Minister of trying to silence his opponents prior to snap elections.
On 7 September
the Sejm voted to dissolve itself
paving the way for early elections - the eighth since the fall of communism in 1989.
In all
6
187 candidates
including 1
428 women
ran for the Sejm
while 385 candidates
including 46 women
vied for seats in the Senate.
The 2007 elections again saw a duel between the PiS
led by Mr. Jaroslaw Kaczynski
and the PO of Mr. Tusk. The PiS promised to continue its policies
focusing on the domestic economy and promising tax cuts. It appealed to voters to support it in the interest of steady economic growth. The PO pledged to introduce a flat income tax of 15 per cent and to continue the privatization of State companies that stagnated under the PiS-led government. It promised to forge better ties with neighbouring countries
and pledged to introduce the European single currency - the Euro - as soon as possible
to further economic development. Mr. Tusk also promised to work towards the withdrawal of Polish troops from Iraq.
The Left Democratic Alliance (SLD)
which had won 55 seats in the Sejm in the 2005 elections
formed an election coalition - LiD - with the Social Democracy of Poland (SDPL)
the Democratic Party (PD)
and the Labour Union (UP) in September 2006. The coalition was led by former president Mr. Aleksander Kwasniewski. He criticized the PiS-led government
arguing that the country could not afford a radical reduction of taxation.
A total of 53.88 per cent of the country's 30 million registered voters turned out at the polls
representing the highest turnout in the post-communist era. Due to the higher than expected turnout
some polling stations ran out of ballot papers
and others stayed open longer than scheduled
thus delaying the release of the first exit polls by nearly three hours.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) observed the polls. Although it declared the elections to be pluralistic and democratic
it noted "sporadic partial interventions by State organs" in the election campaign.
The final results gave the PO 209 seats in the Sejm and 60 seats in the Senate. The PiS took 166 and 39 seats respectively. The LiD and the Polish Peasant Party (PSL) took 53 and 31 seats in the Sejm
while the remaining one seat went to the German minority. One independent candidate was elected to the Senate. Outgoing Prime Minister
Mr. Jaroslaw Kaczynski
conceded defeat.
The newly elected parliament held its first session on 5 November. The Sejm elected Mr. Bronislaw Komorowski (PO) as its new Speaker
while Mr. Bogdan Borusewicz (independent) was re-elected as the Senate President.
On 9 November
President Kaczynski designated Mr. Tusk as Prime Minister. His new cabinet was officially sworn in on 16 November. It won a vote of confidence in the Sejm on 23 November. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 21 October 2007 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
30'615'471
16'494'503 (53.88%)
303'699
16'190'804 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Civic Platform (PO) |
85 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Law and Justice (PiS) |
87 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Civic Platform (PO) |
60
|
|
|
|
|
| Law and Justice (PiS) |
39
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
92
8
8.00%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
Over 70 years
|
14
24
44
16
2
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Civil/public servants/administrators (including social/development workers) |
25 |
| Educators |
22 |
| Clerical occupations |
11 |
| Business/trade/industry employees
including executives |
11 |
| Farmers/agricultural workers (including wine growers) |
8 |
| Medical professions (doctors
dentists
nurses) |
7 |
| Legal professions |
5 |
| Media-related professions (journalists/publishers) |
5 |
| Scientists and researchers |
2 |
| Engineers/PC experts |
2 |
| Bankers (including invest bankers)/accountants |
1 |
| Liberal professions (including artists
authors) and sports professionals |
1 |
|
| Comments |
Sources:
- http://www.wybory2007.pkw.gov.pl/SNT/EN/WYN/W/index.htm
- Polish Inter-Parliamentary Group (25.10.2007)
- Senate (21.02.2008) |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
