2010 Polish local elections

Last updated
2010 Polish regional assembly election
Flag of Poland.svg
  2006 21 November 2010 (first round)
5 December 2010 (second round)
2014  

561 seats to regional assemblies
Registered30,608,506
Turnout14,494,179 (47.35%)
Increase2.svg 1.44pp
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Donald Tusk 2009.jpg
Kaczynski 5-7-2010.jpg
Waldemar Pawlak with Jerzy Buzek, 2009.jpg
Leader Donald Tusk Jarosław Kaczyński Waldemar Pawlak
Party PO PiS PSL
Leader since1 June 200318 January 200329 January 2005
Last election27.1%, 186 seats25.0%, 170 seats13.2%, 83 seats
Seats won22214193
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 36Decrease2.svg 29Increase2.svg 10
Popular vote3,930,2102,931,8672,073,234
Percentage30.9%23.1%16.3%
SwingIncrease2.svg 3.8ppDecrease2.svg 1.9ppIncrease2.svg 3.1pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
Grzegorz Napieralski 30 6 2010.png
Rafal Dutkiewicz by Maciej Kulczynski crop.JPG
Ryszard Galla Sejm 2016.JPG
Leader Grzegorz Napieralski Rafał Dutkiewicz Ryszard Galla
Party SLD ODŚ MN
Leader since31 May 200826 January 200825 September 2005
Last election14.2%, 66 seatsDid not exist0.4%, 7 seats
Seats won8596
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 19Did not existDecrease2.svg 1
Popular vote1,933,913208,86753,670
Percentage15.2%1.6%0.4%
SwingIncrease2.svg 1.0ppDid not existSteady2.svg 0.0pp

2010 Polish voivodeship sejmik elections.svg
Result of the voivodeship sejmik elections

The 2010 Polish local elections were held in two parts, with its first round on 21 November and the second on 5 December. The first round included elections of deputies to provincial voivodeship sejmiks, as well for gmina and powiat councilors. The second round of elections were marked for mayors, borough leaders, and other positions decided by runoff elections. The local elections were seen as a test to the ruling Civic Platform and Polish People's Party coalition government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk. [1]

Contents

Background

As the first polls since the July presidential elections, which saw Civic Platform candidate Bronisław Komorowski defeat Law and Justice MP and former Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, the 2010 local elections were characterized as a test to the administration of Donald Tusk. In the weeks prior to the elections, polls conducted by the CBOS Institute showed the ruling Civic Platform party with a comfortable lead over its rivals. [2] The opposition Law and Justice electoral campaign faced multiple challenges prior to the elections. Polls published in the days leading up to the first round indicated low support for the party. [3] In a related addition, a severe internal party crisis regarding Kaczyński's leadership and the party's ideological direction, simmering among several of the party's more moderate MPs in the Sejm for several months prior, exploded into the open days before the election. The rebel MPs, led by expelled party member Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska, formed the Poland Comes First parliamentary group on 16 November. [4] The party split further undermined confidence to the government's opposition.

Due to mandates in Polish law, all electioneering, poll surveys, and campaigning ceased on 20 November, in the period known as the "election silence." [5]

A partisan municipal election poster in Zabrze. Zabrze Wolnosci Wybory.jpeg
A partisan municipal election poster in Zabrze.

Results

Analysis

Following the tabulated results of the election's first round, Civic Platform emerged with a victory, increasing its profile across provincial, county, and municipal councils. In voivodeship sejmiks, Civic Platform won control of 12 voivodeships, and tied for first place in another. [6] The party's national junior coalition partner, the Polish People's Party, won outright in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. Law and Justice received a majority in two voivodeships. Following the results, Prime Minister Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak agreed to extend their coalition into local administrations. [7] Civic Platform performed well in county powiat councils, and also significantly raised its electoral profile in municipal gmina councils.

The Polish People's Party also emerged as a winner following the elections, capturing a strong 16 percent of the vote, exceeding previous expectations from pre-election polling. In powiat councils, the party particularly increased its share thanks to its strong connections to local politics. [6] In gmina elections, the party expanded gains from the previous 2006 local elections. [8]

Law and Justice suffered defeats in all voivodeship, powiat and gmina council tiers of government. While the defeat did not signify a total collapse as survey polls previously suggested, the results pointed towards a general trend of decline for the rightist party, with critics pointing to the perceived aloofness of its party leader, Jarosław Kaczyński. [6]

The center-left Democratic Left Alliance also benefited during the elections. Although pushed to fourth place by the surprising gains of the Polish People's Party, the Democratic Left Alliance increased their numbers in provincial voivodeship sejmiks and powiat councils, though the party suffered losses in gmina council elections. [8]

While Civic Platform achieved considerable success in the outright reelection of Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz as Mayor of Warsaw without a second round, the electorate continued to lean for nonpartisan independent mayors. Independent candidates led in over half of the country's 18 largest cities against mainstream party candidates. [6] Civic Platform's attempts to unseat independent mayors in Kraków, Katowice, Poznań, Toruń and Wrocław all ended in defeat. [9]

In the county and municipal levels, independent candidates and local political committees captured the most votes, retaining 38 percent of all county councilor seats and over 71 percent of all municipal councilor seats.

Turnout

The turnout in the first round was 47.32%, and in the second round - 35.31%.

Provincial voivodeship sejmik results by party Sejmiki wojewodzkie 2010 BK.PNG
Provincial voivodeship sejmik results by party

Voivodeship councils

Electoral committee % of seatsSeatsIncrease2.svg / Decrease2.svg
  Civic Platform (PO)39.57%222Increase2.svg 36
  Law and Justice (PiS)25.13%141Decrease2.svg 29
  Polish People's Party (PSL)16.68%93Increase2.svg 10
  Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)15.15%85Increase2.svg 9
  Citizens of Lower Silesia (ODŚ)1.60%9Increase2.svg 3
  German Minority (MN)0.89%6Decrease2.svg 1
  Silesian Autonomy Movement (RAŚ)0.53%3Increase2.svg 3
 Regional committees0.36%2Increase2.svg 1
  Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland (SRP)--0Decrease2.svg 37
  League of Polish Families (LPR)--0Decrease2.svg 11
Total100.00%561
Election turnout by county (powiat). Frekwencja wybory samorzadowe 2010 Polska.PNG
Election turnout by county ( powiat ).
PartyVotes%Seats
Civic Platform 3,930,21030.89222
Law and Justice 2,931,86723.05141
Polish People's Party 2,073,23416.3093
Democratic Left Alliance 1,933,91315.2085
National Party of Retirees and Pensioners 231,2631.820
Rafał Dutkiewicz's Electors' Electoral Committee 208,8671.649
Janusz Korwin-Mikke Electors' Electoral Committee 155,2101.220
Polish Labour Party - August 149,4821.180
Our Home Poland - Andrzej Lepper's Self-Defence 133,2841.050
Silesian Autonomy Movement 122,7810.973
Left-wing Electoral Committee [a] 91,1960.720
National Self-Governance Community  [ pl ]90,6500.711
League of Polish Families 87,5450.690
Right Wing of the Republic 78,2870.620
Małopolska Community of Marek Nawara  [ pl ]68,6000.540
Real Politics Union 56,3470.440
German Minority Electoral Committee 53,6700.426
Self-Governance Agreement  [ pl ]47,3030.371
Electoral Platform31,7100.250
National Revival of Poland 30,7760.240
Piast Faction 29,9390.240
Konstanty Dombrowicz Electoral Committee. City for the Generations27,6030.220
Independent Platform of Social Initiatives-Now Wielkopolska26,9140.210
Firemens' Electoral Committee16,0920.130
Polish Direction  [ pl ]15,4320.120
Alliance of the Polish Nation  [ pl ]12,9590.100
Right-wing Self-Governance Community11,3040.090
Youth as Gurantors of Change9,6420.080
Justice in Kraków8,7960.070
National Breakthrough Movement8,0440.060
Śląsk Wrocław7,1270.060
Patriotic Poland  [ pl ]6,9550.050
Our Gmina Our Powiat - It's Us5,8640.050
Slavic Union 5,7070.040
Civic Initiative of Powiat Tarnogórski 4,7640.040
Human Rights Defence Electoral Committee3,9720.030
Solidary Gdańsk2,9520.020
Ekopark2,1300.020
Independent Social Movement Western Pomeranian1,5790.010
Zdzisław Kaniewski Electors' Electoral Committee1,2430.010
Thinking Differently9790.010
Agreement of the Right in Głubczyce8660.010
Center for Sustainable Development8440.010
Care for Greenery7690.010
Loża Szyderców Electors' Electoral Committee7670.010
Social Movement7220.010
Centro-Behaviorist-Socialist Agreement6800.010
skuteczniedoprzodu.pl Electoral Committee5360.000
Total12,721,376100.00561
Valid votes12,721,37687.77
Invalid/blank votes1,772,80312.23
Total votes14,494,179100.00
Registered voters/turnout30,608,50647.35
Source: National Electoral Commission [10]

County councils

Electoral committee % of seatsSeatsIncrease2.svg / Decrease2.svg
 Local committees38.12%2,398Decrease2.svg 249
  Civic Platform (PO)20.91%1,315Increase2.svg 536
  Law and Justice (PiS)17,25%1,085Decrease2.svg 146
  Polish People's Party (PSL)15,88%999Increase2.svg 132
  Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)7.84%493Increase2.svg 25
Total100.00%6,290

Municipal councils

Electoral committee % of seatsSeatsIncrease2.svg / Decrease2.svg
 Local committees71.5%28,480Decrease2.svg 246
  Polish People's Party (PSL)11%4,381Increase2.svg 483
  Law and Justice (PiS)7%2,782Decrease2.svg 194
  Civic Platform (PO)6.82%2,719Increase2.svg 1,122
  Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)3.68%1,466Decrease2.svg 130
Total100.00%39,828

References

  1. "Local elections in Poland test government's popularity". Deutsche Welle. 2010-11-21. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  2. "Campaign hots up before local elections". Polskie Radio. 2010-11-14. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  3. "Opposition face meltdown in local elections?". Polskie Radio. 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  4. "Law and Justice breakaway politicians form new 'association'". Polskie Radio. 2010-11-16. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  5. "Local election silence descends on Poland". Polskie Radio. 2010-11-20. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Small change signals big shift". The Economist . 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  7. "PM and deputy talk of 'local government coalitions'". Polskie Radio. 2010-11-26. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  8. 1 2 "PiS wszędzie traci, PO zyskuje ponad 1,5 tys. radnych". Gazeta.pl. 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
  9. "Polish Ruling Party Wins Local Elections, but Cracks Show". The Wall Street Journal . 2010-11-22. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
  10. "Samorząd 2010".

Notes

  1. Polish Left, Social Democracy of Poland, Union of the Left of the Third Republic