A three-part referendum was held in
Poland on 6 September 2015. Voters were asked whether they approved of introducing
single-member constituencies for
Sejm elections, maintaining state financing of political parties and introducing a presumption in favour of the taxpayer in disputes over the tax law.
The
voter turnout of 7.80 percent was well below the 50-percent threshold required for the referendum results to be legally binding.
[Obwieszczenie Państwowej Komisji Wyborczej z dnia 7 września 2015 r. o wynikach głosowania i wyniku referendum przeprowadzonego w dniu 6 września 2015 r.]
(Announcement of the National Electoral Commission of 7 September 2015 on the results of the vote and the result of the referendum held on 6 September 2015)
Background
The referendums were ordered by President
Bronisław Komorowski, who had promised to hold a referendum on the electoral system after the first round of the
presidential elections
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
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, Although he had been leading in the polls, Komorowski received fewer votes (33.77%) than his main opponent
Andrzej Duda (34.76%) in the first round. However third-placed candidate
Paweł Kukiz received 20.8% of the vote, campaigning on introducing single-member constituencies for Sejm elections.
A day after the May elections, Komorowski made an instantaneous decision to hold the referendum. Justifying his initiative, he explained that he saw high support for Kukiz as a signal that voters wanted changes.
Questions
The referendum asked voters the following three yes-or-no questions:
# Are you in favour of introducing single-member constituencies in elections to the
Sejm of the Republic of Poland?
# Are you in favour of maintaining the current method of financing of political parties from the national budget?
# Are you in favour of introducing a general rule of resolving doubts regarding the interpretation of taxation law in favour of the tax-payer?
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Results
Notes
References
{{Polish elections
2015 elections in Poland
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
2015 referendums
Electoral reform referendums
Electoral reform in Poland
September 2015 events in Europe