This article lists current political parties in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, as well as former parties dating back as far as 1918. Since 1989, Poland has had a
multi-party system
In political science, a multi-party system is a political system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national elections, and all have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately or in coal ...
, with numerous competing
political parties
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...
. Individual parties normally do not manage to gain power alone, and usually work with other parties to form
coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
s.
The transition from a mono-party Communist regime to
liberal democracy
Liberal democracy is the combination of a liberal political ideology that operates under an indirect democratic form of government. It is characterized by elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into diff ...
and
pluralism resulted in new political parties mushrooming in the early 1990s. After the first free parliamentary elections in 1991 seats in the
Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...
were divided among more than a dozen different parties (amongst them such curiosities as the
Polish Beer-Lovers' Party
The Polish Beer-Lovers' Party (PPPP; pl, Polska Partia Przyjaciół Piwa, lit=Polish Party of Friends of Beer) was a satirical List of political parties in Poland, Polish political party that was founded in 1990 by satirist Janusz Rewiński. Ori ...
(''Polska Partia Przyjaciół Piwa''), led by a popular comedy actor,
Janusz Rewiński Janusz () is a masculine Polish given name.
It is also the shortened form of January and Januarius.
People
*Janusz Akermann (born 1957), Polish painter
*Janusz Bardach, Polish gulag survivor and physician
* Janusz Bielański, Roman Catholic prie ...
). The existence of so many parties in the Sejm was seen by many as being counterproductive to the effectiveness of the parliament and a hindrance towards producing stable governments. Consequently, electoral reform was undertaken and an electoral threshold for the Lower House was instituted prior to the 1993 elections. The set threshold required a minimum vote of 5% for parties (with exemptions for ethnic minority parties) and 8% for electoral coalitions. The threshold was set at the national, rather than divisional, level, and had the effect of preventing many minor parties from winning seats in later elections. The threshold also prevented independent candidates from gaining election to the Sejm. Since 1990, the left side of the political scene has generally been dominated by former
Communists
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...
turned
social democrats
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...
. The right has largely comprised (former)
Solidarity
''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio ...
activists and supporters, but experienced deep divisions from the beginning, and showed less cohesiveness than the left. The right were unable to create a single bloc which could act as a lasting counterweight to the
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
monolith, but instead, kept merging, splitting and renaming. Even so, the parties of the right did manage to win government again from 1997 to 2001 (having initially governed from 1989 to 1993).
Since the parliamentary elections of 2005, the right-wing parties have dominated the political scene, and appear to be in their strongest position to date. Two important developments in the political landscape have taken place since 2005. Firstly, the SLD (Communist successor) party is no longer the major, or one of the two major parties. Secondly, the main political battleground is no longer between the ex-Solidarity right versus the ex-Communist left. The new competing groupings are those of the
Law and Justice
Law and Justice ( pl, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość , PiS) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Poland. Its chairman is Jarosław Kaczyński.
It was founded in 2001 by Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński as a direct su ...
party (promoting economic interventionism and social conservatism) and the
Civic Platform
Civic Platform ( pl, Platforma Obywatelska, PO)The party is officially the Civic Platform of the Republic of Poland (''Platforma Obywatelska Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''). is a political party in Poland. It is currently led by Donald Tusk.
It w ...
(representing a more liberal-conservative position). The general public disapproval of politics and politicians as a whole has resulted in almost all major parties excluding the very word "party" from their names, replacing it with words less associated with politics, such as "union", "platform", "league" or "alliance".
Parliamentary parties
Parties without representation
Far-left
Left-wing
Centre-left
Centre
Centre-right
Right-wing
Far-right
Parties difficult to define/regional
Historical parties
Important defunct parties after 1989
Defunct parties of People's Republic of Poland
Defunct and historical political parties in the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...
, 1918–1939
*
Agudath Israel
*
Bloc of National Minorities
The Bloc of National Minorities ( pl, Blok Mniejszości Narodowych, (, BMN; be, Блёк нацыянальных меньшасьцяў, ; uk, Блок національних меншин, ; german: Block der Nationalen Minderheiten; yi, ב ...
– Blok Mniejszosci Narodowych
*
General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland
The General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland ( yi, אַלגעמײַנער ײדישער אַרבעטער בּונד אין פוילן, translit=Algemeyner Yidisher Arbeter-bund in Poyln, pl, Ogólno-Żydowski Związek Robotniczy "Bund" w Polsce) was ...
*
Camp of National Unity
''Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego'' (, en, Camp of National Unity; abbreviated "''OZN''"; and often called "''Ozon''" (Polish for "ozone") was a Polish political party founded in 1937 by sections of the leadership in the Sanacja movement.
A yea ...
– Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego, OZN ("Ozon", continuation of BBWR, nationalist)
*
Centrolew
The ''Centrolew'' (, ''Center-Left'') was a coalition of several Polish political parties ( Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie", German Socialist Labour Party of Poland, Polish People's Party "Piast", National Workers' Party, Polish Socialist Part ...
, "Center-Left" – coalition of parties.
*
Chjeno-Piast
Chjeno-Piast was an unofficial (yet common) name of a coalition of Polish political parties formed in 1923. It included the Polish People's Party "Piast" and an older coalition 1922 Christian Association of National Unity (''Chrześcijański Zwi ...
– coalition of that included the Polish People's Party "Piast" and Christian Association of National Unity
*
Christian Democracy – Labor Party – Chrześcijańska Demokracja (ChD)
*
Communist Party of Poland
The interwar Communist Party of Poland ( pl, Komunistyczna Partia Polski, KPP) was a communist party active in Poland during the Second Polish Republic. It resulted from a December 1918 merger of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland a ...
– Komunistyczna Partia Polski, KPP – (communist, illegal)
*
Folkspartei
The Folkspartei ( yi, ייִדישע פֿאָלקספּאַרטײַ, , Jewish People's Party) was founded after the 1905 pogroms in the Russian Empire by Simon Dubnow and Israel Efrojkin. The party took part in several elections in Poland and ...
– Jewish People's Party ('Folkists')
*
German Socialist Labour Party of Poland
The German Socialist Labour Party of Poland (german: Deutsche Sozialistische Arbeitspartei Polens, abbreviated DSAP, pl, Niemiecka Socjalistyczna Partia Pracy w Polsce) was a political party organizing German Social Democrats in interbellum Poland ...
– (German: Deutsche Sozialistische Arbeitspartei Polens, abbreviated DSAP, Polish: Niemiecka Socjalistyczna Partia Pracy w Polsce)
*
Labor Party – Stronnictwo Pracy, SP
*
National Democracy National Democracy may refer to:
* National Democracy (Czech Republic)
* National Democracy (Italy)
* National Democracy (Philippines)
* National Democracy (Poland)
* National Democracy (Spain)
See also
* Civic nationalism, a general concept
* ...
– Narodowa Demokracja, ND ("''Endecja''") (nationalist)
**
Popular National Union
Związek Ludowo-Narodowy (ZLN; en, Popular National Union}was a Polish political party aligned with the National Democracy (Poland), National Democracy political movement during the Second Polish Republic, gathering together right-wing politicians ...
– Związek Ludowo-Narodowy, ZLN
**
National Party – Stronnictwo Narodowe, SN
*
National Radical Camp
The National Radical Camp ( pl, Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny, ONR) refers to at least three groups that are fascist, far-right, and ultranationalist Polish organisations with doctrines stemming from pre-World War II nationalist ideology.
The cur ...
– Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny, ONR (extreme-right)
**
National Radical Camp ABC
The National Radical Camp ( pl, Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny, ONR) refers to at least three groups that are fascist, far-right, and ultranationalist Polish organisations with doctrines stemming from pre-World War II nationalist ideology.
The cur ...
**
National Radical Camp Falanga
The National Radical Camp ( pl, Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny, ONR) refers to at least three groups that are fascist, far-right, and ultranationalist Polish organisations with doctrines stemming from pre-World War II nationalist ideology.
The curre ...
– Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny Falanga or Falanga
*
National Workers' Party
The National Workers' Party ( pl, Narodowa Partia Robotnicza, NPR) was a political party in Poland.
History
The NPR was established in Warsaw on 23 May 1920 by a merger of the National Workers' Union and the National Party of Workers.Jerzy Jan L ...
– Narodowa Partia Robotnicza, NPR
*
Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government
The Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government ( pl, Bezpartyjny Blok Współpracy z Rządem, ; abbreviated ''BBWR'') was a "non-political" organization in the interwar Second Polish Republic, in 1928–35. It was closely affiliated with ...
– Bezpartyjny Blok Współpracy z Rządem, BBWR (organization of Sanacja)
* Peasant Party –
Stronnictwo Chłopskie
The Peasant Party ( pl, Stronnictwo Chłopskie, ) was a Polish political party, active from 1926 to 1931 in the Second Polish Republic. It was created from a faction of Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie" of Jan Dąbski, the Agrarian Union and P ...
, SCh
*
People's Party – Stronnictwo Ludowe, SL
*
Polish People's Party
The Polish People's Party ( pl, Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, PSL) is an agrarian political party in Poland. It is currently led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Its history traces back to 1895, when it held the name People's Party, although it ...
PSL – Polish People's Party (agrarians)
**
Polish People's Party "Piast"
**
Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie"
Polish Peasant Party "Wyzwolenie" or Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie"''Wyzwolenie'' is Polish for ''Liberation'', and many sources translate the party's name fully as Polish Peasant Party "Liberation" or Polish People's Party "Liberation" (Poli ...
*
Polish Socialist Party
The Polish Socialist Party ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) is a socialist political party in Poland.
It was one of the most important parties in Poland from its inception in 1892 until its merger with the communist Polish Workers' P ...
– Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS (socialist)
**
Polish Socialist Party – Revolutionary Faction
The Polish Socialist Party – Revolutionary Faction ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna – Frakcja Rewolucyjna, PPS–FR) also known as the Old Faction ( pl, Starzy, links=no) was one of two factions into which the Polish Socialist Party split ...
– Polska Partia Socjalistyczna – Frakcja Rewolucyjna
**
Polish Socialist Party – Left
Polish Socialist Party – Left ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna – Lewica, PPS–L), also known as the Young Faction ( pl, Młodzi, links=no), was one of two factions into which Polish Socialist Party divided itself in 1906. Its primary goal ...
– Polska Partia Socjalistyczna – Lewica
*
Sanation
Sanation ( pl, Sanacja, ) was a Polish political movement that was created in the interwar period, prior to Józef Piłsudski's May 1926 ''Coup d'État'', and came to power in the wake of that coup. In 1928 its political activists would go on ...
– Sanacja (meant to "restore health" to the
body politic
The body politic is a polity—such as a city, realm, or state—considered metaphorically as a physical body. Historically, the sovereign is typically portrayed as the body's head, and the analogy may also be extended to other anatomical par ...
: authoritarian, centrist)
*
Ukrainian National Democratic Alliance
The Ukrainian National Democratic Alliance, (UNDO) ( uk, Українське національно-демократичне об'єднання, УНДО, ''Ukrayin'ske Natsional'no-Demokratichne Obyednannia'', pl, Ukraińskie Zjednoczenie Naro ...
– (UNDO) (Ukrainian: Українське національно-демократичне об'єднання, УНДО, Ukrayin'ske Natsional'no-Demokratichne Obyednannia, Polish: Ukraińskie Zjednoczenie Narodowo-Demokratyczne)
*
Związek Chłopski ZCh (
Polish Wikipedia article)
Defunct and historical parties Political parties before 1918
*
Polish Social Democratic Party
Polish Social Democratic Party of Galicia ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalno-Demokratyczna Galicji) was a political party in Galicia. The party was formed in 1890 as the Galician territorial organization of the Social Democratic Workers Party of Austria. ...
– Polska Partia Socjaldemokratyczna (1890-1919)
*
Polish Socialist Party
The Polish Socialist Party ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PPS) is a socialist political party in Poland.
It was one of the most important parties in Poland from its inception in 1892 until its merger with the communist Polish Workers' P ...
– Polska Partia Socjalistyczna (1892-1948)
*
Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania
The Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania ( pl, Socjaldemokracja Królestwa Polskiego i Litwy, SDKPiL), , LKLSD), originally the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland (SDKP), was a Marxist political party founded in 1893 and ...
– Socjaldemokracja Krolestwa Polskiego i Litwy (1893-1918)
*
Polish Socialist Party of the Prussian Partition
The Polish Socialist Party of the Prussian Partition, sometimes Polish Socialist Party in Prussia ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna Zaboru Pruskiego - german: Polnische Sozialistische Partei in Preußen) - was a Polish political party.
The party ...
– Polska Partia Socjalistyczna Zaboru Pruskiego (1893-1919)
*
Polish Socialist Party – Revolutionary Faction
The Polish Socialist Party – Revolutionary Faction ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna – Frakcja Rewolucyjna, PPS–FR) also known as the Old Faction ( pl, Starzy, links=no) was one of two factions into which the Polish Socialist Party split ...
– Polska Partia Socjalistyczna - Frakcja Rewolucyjna (1893-1918)
*
National-Democratic Party – Stronnictwo Narodowo-Demokratyczne (1897-1919)
*
National Workers' Union – Narodowy Związek Robotników (1905-1920)
*
Polish Socialist Party – Left
Polish Socialist Party – Left ( pl, Polska Partia Socjalistyczna – Lewica, PPS–L), also known as the Young Faction ( pl, Młodzi, links=no), was one of two factions into which Polish Socialist Party divided itself in 1906. Its primary goal ...
– Polska Partia Socjalistyczna - Lewica (1906-1918)
*
Christian Democratic Party
__NOTOC__
Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...
– Stronnictwo Chrześcijańskiej Demokracji (1919-1937)
*
Polish Socialist-Democratic Party of Galicia and Cieszyn Silesia – Polska Partia Socjalno-Demokratyczna Galicji i Śląska Cieszyńskiego
*
Progressive-Democratic Union – Związek Postępowo-Demokratyczny
*
Real Politics Party – Stronnictwo Polityki Realnej
*
Polish People's Party
The Polish People's Party ( pl, Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, PSL) is an agrarian political party in Poland. It is currently led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Its history traces back to 1895, when it held the name People's Party, although it ...
– Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe
*
National Workers' Faction – Narodowe Stronnictwo Robotników
*
Peasantry Union – Związek Stronnictwa Chłopskiego
*
Popular Christian Party
Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group.
Popular may also refer to:
In sociology
* Popular culture
* Popular fiction
* Popular music
* Popular science
* Populace, the total ...
– Stronnictwo Chrześcijańsko-Ludowe
*
Polish Popular Centre – Polskie Centrum Ludowe
Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth
*
Patriotic Party
, colorcode = #E4433E
, leader1_title = Leaders
, leader1_name = Ignacy PotockiAdam Kazimierz Czartoryski Stanisław Małachowski
, foundation =
, dissolution =
, headquarters = Kraków
, ideology = Pro-ReformConstitution ...
*
Hetmans' Party
, colorcode = #0067A5
, leader1_title = Leaders
, leader1_name = Franciszek Ksawery BranickiStanisław Szczęsny PotockiSeweryn RzewuskiKazimierz Nestor Sapieha
, foundation =
, dissolution =
, headquarters = Kraków
, ideology ...
*
Familia party
See also
*
Politics of Poland
The Government of Poland takes the form of a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. However, its form of government has also been ide ...
*
List of political parties by country
This is a list of ruling political parties by country, in the form of a table with a link to an overview of political parties in each country and showing which party system is dominant in each country. A political party is a political organizat ...
*
List of politicians in Poland
The following lists of Polish politicians and party members are listed by party:
*List of Centre Agreement politicians
* List of Civic Platform politicians
*List of Democratic Left Alliance politicians
* List of Democratic Party – demokraci.pl p ...
References
Further reading
* Dariusz Cecuda, ''Leksykon Opozycji Politycznej 1976-1989'', BIS Trust, Warszawa 1989
* Małgorzata Dehnel-Szyc, Jadwiga Stachura, ''Gry polityczne. Orientacje na dziś'', Oficyna Wydawnicza Volument, Warszawa 1991
* Piotr Frączak (e.d), ''Gorączka czasu przełomu. Dokumenty ugrupowań radykalnych 1989-1990'', Instytut Studiów Politycznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk, Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek, Warszawa 1984
* Inka Słodkowska (ed.), Programy partii i ugrupowań 1989-1991' vol. 1–2, Instytut Studiów Politycznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk, Warszawa 1995
{{List of political parties in Europe
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
Political parties
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
Political parties
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...