The Confederation Liberty and Independence ( pl, Konfederacja Wolność i Niepodległość), frequently shortened to just Confederation ( pl, Konfederacja), is a
far-right
Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
political party in Poland.
It was initially founded in 2018 as a political coalition for the
2019 European Parliament election
The 2019 European Parliament election was held between 23 and 26 May 2019, the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent more than 512 million peopl ...
, although it was later expanded into a political party. It won 11 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 ...
after the
2019 parliamentary election. Its presidential candidate for the
2020 election was
Krzysztof Bosak
Krzysztof Bosak (, born 13 June 1982) is a far-right Polish politician. He was a member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, Sejm for the League of Polish Families from 2005 to 2007 and has been a member of the Sejm again since 2019 for the Con ...
who placed fourth among eleven candidates. A coalition mainly led by
Korwin
The New Hope (, NN), previously known as Confederation for the Renewal of the Republic Liberty and Hope (, KORWiN/Liberty), is a right-wing populist political party in Poland. It is currently led by Sławomir Mentzen.
It was founded in 2015 by ...
,
National Movement
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
, and the
Confederation of the Polish Crown
The Confederation of the Polish Crown ( pl, Konfederacja Korony Polskiej, KKP), often shorted to The Crown ( pl, Korona, links=no, label=none), is a far-right political party in Poland. It is led by Grzegorz Braun.
It has been described as natio ...
, it is
right-orientated and is considered to be a part of the
radical right. It has expressed
right-wing populist
Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right-wing nationalism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics and populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti-elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establi ...
rhetoric, a more hardline opposition stance towards the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
and immigration. It is
economically liberal
Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism, ...
and has called for lowering taxes, and has also expressed
socially conservative
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...
and
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
stances.
History
Two political parties,
KORWiN
The New Hope (, NN), previously known as Confederation for the Renewal of the Republic Liberty and Hope (, KORWiN/Liberty), is a right-wing populist political party in Poland. It is currently led by Sławomir Mentzen.
It was founded in 2015 by ...
and
National Movement
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
, announced in late 2018 that they have decided to run together in the upcoming
European Parliament elections
Elections to the European Parliament take place every five years by universal adult suffrage; with more than 400 million people eligible to vote, they are considered the second largest democratic elections in the world after India's.
Unti ...
.
In early 2019,
Grzegorz Braun's organization and
Piotr Krzysztof Liroy-Marzec's party joined the coalition.
Kaja Godek
Kaja Godek is a Polish ultra-conservative activist and leader of the foundation ("life and family"). She proposed a law against abortion () in 2013 and a law against LGBT marches () in 2021. The anti-abortion proposal did not pass the first pa ...
, an ultra-conservative activist, announced her participation on the list. The coalition was dubbed "Pro-Polish Coalition", although in late February 2019, it was changed to "Konfederacja Korwin Braun Liroy Narodowcy". In March 2019, an application was submitted to register the party under that name, and the Federation for the Republic of Poland soon joined the alliance including some representatives. Its name was changed again, this time to "Confederation". The
Party of Drivers
Party of Drivers ( pl, Partia Kierowców) is a minor single-issue
Single-issue politics involves political campaigning or political support based on one essential policy area or idea.
Political expression
One weakness of such an approach is ...
joined the coalition in April, and soon after they elected
Marek Jakubiak as the chairman. The Confederation placed fourth in the 2019 European Parliament election, winning 4.55% of the popular vote, although it did not reach the electoral threshold. After the election, Braun applied for the registration of the
Confederation of the Polish Crown
The Confederation of the Polish Crown ( pl, Konfederacja Korony Polskiej, KKP), often shorted to The Crown ( pl, Korona, links=no, label=none), is a far-right political party in Poland. It is led by Grzegorz Braun.
It has been described as natio ...
.
The coalition was registered on 25 July 2019 under the name "Confederation Liberty and Independence". Kaja Godek left the coalition soon after. Shortly before the
2019 parliamentary election, a schism occurred in the coalition, with many representatives joining the coalition while some of them also left. The coalition ended up winning 6.81% of the popular vote and won 11 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 ...
. Most of the support the party received was in southeast and northern parts of Poland. Around 20% of all young voters aged under-30 supported the grouping, about two-thirds of its voters were male and more than three-fifths lived in smaller towns and rural areas. This has been highlighted as a significant change from previous right-wing alliances involving Korwin-Mikke where the base of support was almost exclusively young males. In November 2019, the Confederation presented nine candidates that took part in the
presidential primaries
The presidential primary elections and caucuses held in the various states, the District of Columbia, and territories of the United States form part of the nominating process of candidates for United States presidential elections. The United S ...
organized by the party. The winner of the presidential primary was
Krzysztof Bosak
Krzysztof Bosak (, born 13 June 1982) is a far-right Polish politician. He was a member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, Sejm for the League of Polish Families from 2005 to 2007 and has been a member of the Sejm again since 2019 for the Con ...
, who became Confederate candidate for the
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
. During the first round of the election Bosak received 1,317,380 votes or 6.78%, coming fourth among eleven candidates.
In 2022, serious internal splits emerged as a result of
Sławomir Mentzen's and
Janusz Korwin-Mikke
Janusz Ryszard Korwin-Mikke (; born 27 October 1942), also known by his initials JKM or simply as Korwin, is a Polish far-right politician, paleolibertarian and author. He was a member of the European Parliament from 2014 until 2018. He was the ...
's
pro-Russian
Russophilia (literally love of Russia or Russians) is admiration and fondness of Russia (including the era of the Soviet Union and/or the Russian Empire), Russian history and Russian culture. The antonym is Russophobia. In the 19th Century, ...
and
Ukrainophobic
Anti-Ukrainian sentiment, Ukrainophobia or anti-Ukrainianism is animosity towards Ukrainians, Ukrainian culture, the Ukrainian language, Ukraine as a nation, or all of the above.Andriy Okara. Ukrainophobia is a gnostic problem.n18texts Okara. Ret ...
stances in light of the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, causing several members to renounce their
KORWiN
The New Hope (, NN), previously known as Confederation for the Renewal of the Republic Liberty and Hope (, KORWiN/Liberty), is a right-wing populist political party in Poland. It is currently led by Sławomir Mentzen.
It was founded in 2015 by ...
memberships, albeit remaining within the coalition.
Ideology and position
The Confederation is a
right-orientated political party, and it is positioned on the
far-right
Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
on the political spectrum. It is also considered to be a part of the
radical right, although some have disputed that it does not contain all elements of the radical right.
Its ideology compromises the support for numerous
right-wing populist
Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right-wing nationalism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics and populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti-elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establi ...
ideas.
It has presented a hardline opposition stance to the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
,
and has criticized its and
Law and Justice's policies towards immigration, calling for harder stances against illegal immigration instead. It is also
socially conservative
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...
, and
antifeminist
Antifeminism, also spelled anti-feminism, is opposition to some or all forms of feminism. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, antifeminists opposed particular policy proposals for women's rights, such as the right to vote, educat ...
, it also supports total ban on
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
, and supports the traditional family model. It has also expressed
xenophobic
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
views, and has openly provided support for
antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
.
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, it has also spread misinformation about COVID-19 and opposed laws that were implemented by the government.
Unlike the Law and Justice, its economic position is orientated towards
economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism ...
and
economic libertarianism and it is considered strongly
pro-free market. It is also
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
, and has been also described as
national-liberal. In its program, they have stated their goal "to turn Poland into a
ethnocracy
An ethnocracy is a type of political structure in which the state apparatus is controlled by a dominant ethnic group (or groups) to further its interests, power and resources. Ethnocratic regimes typically display a 'thin' democratic façade cov ...
and culturally homogenous nation built around traditionalist-Catholic principles".
It has also expressed
nativist sentiment.
Platform
Confederation's platform includes the following promises, as well as others:
* Taxation
** Eliminate the income tax
** Make
social insurance contributions optional
** Reduce
gasoline taxes
** Reduce
government spending
Government spending or expenditure includes all government consumption, investment, and transfer payments. In national income accounting, the acquisition by governments of goods and services for current use, to directly satisfy the individual o ...
* Judicial
** Hire more
judges' assistants
** Restore
capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
* Education
** Create a
school voucher
A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...
program
** Allow parents to opt-out their children from
sex-education classes
** Create a cultural voucher that can be used on arts or
museums
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
* National Security
**
Allow licensed civilians to own firearms
**
Allow the use of nuclear energy
** Oppose the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
's
refugee resettlement program
**
Oppose increases in immigration
**
Expect immigrants to integrate into
Polish culture
The culture of Poland ( pl, Kultura Polski ) is the product of its geography and distinct historical evolution, which is closely connected to an intricate thousand-year history. Polish culture forms an important part of western civilization and ...
* Health
** Ban
importation of garbage
** Oppose the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
's climate change rules
**
Protect human life from the moment of conception
* Business
** Abolish penalties for street trade and raise the limits on unlicensed trade.
** Raise the
VAT
A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...
exemption to
zl 400,000
** Index the tax exempt amount to be approximately twelve times the
minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Bec ...
** Allow businesses to
refuse services on moral grounds
Composition
Current political parties
Current organisations and movements
Former political parties
Political parties who had members with individual agreements
Former organisations and movements
Results
European Parliament
Sejm
Senate
Presidential
Internal
See also
*
National Movement (Poland)
National Movement ( pl, Ruch Narodowy, RN) is an ultranationalist political party in Poland. It is led by Robert Winnicki.
It was founded in 2012 as an organization, and in 2014 it was registered as a political party. It is a part of the Confe ...
*
Liroy
Piotr Krzysztof Liroy-Marzec (born July 12, 1971, in Busko Zdrój, Poland as Piotr Krzysztof Marzec), better known as Liroy (Leeroy), is a Polish rapper and politician.
He is one of the pioneers of rap and hip-hop culture in Poland. His CDs in ...
*
Grzegorz Braun
Grzegorz Michał Braun (born 11 March 1967) is a Polish far-right politician, journalist, academic lecturer, movie director and screenwriter. He is the leader of the Confederation of the Polish Crown and one of the leaders of Confederation Libe ...
*
Kukiz'15
Kukiz'15 is a right-wing populist political party in Poland led by Paweł Kukiz.
It was formed in 2015 as a loose movement that registered itself as an association in 2016 and later as a political party in 2020. Initially, it was connected with ...
*
United Right
References
{{Polish political parties
2018 establishments in Poland
Eurosceptic parties in Poland
Capital punishment in Poland
Climate change denial
Political parties established in 2018
Political party alliances in Poland
Right-wing populism in Poland
Anti-Islam political parties in Europe
Anti-Islam sentiment in Poland
Right-wing populist parties
Right-wing parties in Europe
Anarcho-capitalist organizations