Modern (political party)

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Modern
.Nowoczesna
Founder Ryszard Petru
FoundedMay 2015
Dissolved24 October 2025
Merged into Civic Coalition
Youth wing Młodzi Nowocześni
Membership (2018)4,160
Ideology
Political position Centre [5] [6] to centre-right [7] [8] [9]
National affiliationCivic Coalition
Senate Pact 2023 (for 2023 Senate election)
European affiliation Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Colours  Blue
Website
nowoczesna.org

Modern (Polish : Nowoczesna, styled as ".Nowoczesna") was a centrist [5] [6] to centre-right [7] [8] [9] political party in Poland.

Contents

It was formed in 2015 as "NowoczesnaPL" although it had to change the name to ".Nowoczesna" later that year due to a dispute with the similarly named Modern Poland Foundation. Its first president Ryszard Petru served until 2017, when he was succeeded by Katarzyna Lubnauer. It first gained seats in the 2015 parliamentary election, and in 2018 it joined the Civic Coalition to participate together in the local elections. Szłapka was elected as the president in 2019. Modern was a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, and it was orientated towards the principles of liberalism, [1] [2] neoliberalism, [3] [4] and classical liberalism. [10] It also supported Poland's membership in the European Union. [11]

History

The party was founded in late May 2015 as NowoczesnaPL (ModernPL) by economist Ryszard Petru. [12] [13] [14] The founding convention was held on 31 May 2015 at which around 6,000 people gathered to participate. [14] [15] The chairman presented the program of the party, and besides him, other activists spoke during the convention. [16] In August 2015, the party's name was changed to .Modern (.Nowoczesna) [17] due to controversy over its name – there had already been a non-governmental organization called the Modern Poland Foundation. [18] Around the same time, the party's new logo was presented, and Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz became its spokesperson. [19] The party received 7.6% of votes in the 2015 parliamentary election, which resulted in winning 28 seats in the Sejm. [20] [21]

The party was admitted into the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) on 4 June 2016. [22] From the 2015 election to end of 2016 Nowoczesna had more support in polls than Platforma Obywatelska. It has lost it after image problems of Ryszard Petru. [23] [24] Katarzyna Lubnauer became the leader of Nowoczesna in November 2017. [25] In leader elections at the party congress, Lubnauer received 149 votes and Petru received 140 votes. [25]

In March 2018, Modern and Civic Platform formed the Civic Coalition electoral alliance to contest the 2018 local elections. In May 2018, founder Ryszard Petru left the party. [26] In 2019, Modern was running for the European Parliament as part of the European Coalition. [27] In June 2019, Modern joined the Civic Platform - Civic Coalition parliamentary group. During the 2019 Polish parliamentary elections the party was a member of the Civic Coalition along with the Civic Platform, Polish Initiative and the Greens. After these elections, Modern rejoined the Civic Coalition parliamentary group, and Adam Szłapka was elected as president of the party. [28]

On 24 October 2025, Adam Szłapka informed that Nowoczesna's party convention voted to dissolve the party, with 146 votes for, 8 against, and 3 abstentions. The party declared that although it had dissolved itself, it will continue its activity through the Civic Coalition and merged with Civic Platform at the Civic Coalition unification congress. [29]

Ideology

The party has been compared to the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP), with its emphasis on economic liberalism in its policy platform. [30] The party was described as neoliberal. [3] [4] It was pro European integration [31] and advocated for Poland to join the Eurozone. It supported LGBTQIA+ rights such as same-sex partnerships and the legalization of abortion. It also supported in-vitro fertilization. Economically the party was for lowering taxes and deregulating the economy. [32] The party also wanted to reduce the size of the public sector via privatization and deregulate employment rights. [33] One of the party's more controversial proposals included increasing the retirement age in Poland. [34] It used to be described as centre-left, [35] [36] but swung to the right upon embracing neoliberal economic positions. [37] [38] As of 2024, it was described as a right-wing party. [7]

Leadership

Party leaders

No.ImageNameStart DateEnd DateTime
1. Ryszard Petru Sejm 02 2016.JPG Ryszard Petru 31 May 201525 November 20172 years, 178 days
2. Katarzyna Lubnauer Sejm 2016.JPG Katarzyna Lubnauer 25 November 201724 November 20191 year, 364 days
3. Adam Szlapka Sejm 2015.JPG Adam Szłapka 24 November 201924 October 20255 years, 334 days

Parliamentary leaders

No.ImageNameStart DateEnd DateTime
1. Ryszard Petru Sejm 02 2016.JPG Ryszard Petru 12 November 201526 April 20171 year, 165 days
2. Katarzyna Lubnauer Sejm 2016.JPG Katarzyna Lubnauer 26 April 20179 January 2018258 days
3. Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz by Lukasz Kaminski.jpg Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz 9 January 20185 December 2018330 days
4. Katarzyna Lubnauer Sejm 2016.JPG Katarzyna Lubnauer 6 December 20187 December 20181 day
5. Pudlowski.jpg Paweł Pudłowski 7 December 201812 June 2019187 days

Since 13 June 2019 members of Modern are part of the Civic Coalition parliamentary group. [39]

Election results

Sejm

Election yearLeaderVotes%Seats+/–Government
2015 Ryszard Petru 1,155,370 [20] 7.6 (#4) [20]
28 / 460
New PiS
2019 Katarzyna Lubnauer 315,2091.7 (#2)
8 / 460
Decrease2.svg 20 PiS
As part of Civic Coalition, which won 134 seats in total.
2023 Adam Szłapka 375,7761.7 (#2)
6 / 460
Decrease2.svg 2
PiS Minority (2023)
KO–PL2050–PSL–NL (2023-present)
As part of Civic Coalition, which won 157 seats in total.

Senate

Election yearVotes%Seats+/–Majority
2015 394 817 [20] 2.6 (#5) [20]
0 / 100
New PiS
2019 84,8890.5 (#2)
1 / 100
Increase2.svg1 KO–KP–SLD
As part of Civic Coalition, which won 43 seats in total.

European Parliament

ElectionLeaderVotes%Seats+/–EP Group
2019 Katarzyna Lubnauer 5,249,93538.47 (#2)
0 / 53
New–
As part of European Coalition, which won 22 seats in total.
2024 Adam Szłapka 4,359,44337.06 (#1)
0 / 52
Steady2.svg 0–
As part of Civic Coalition, which won 21 seats in total.

Regional assemblies

Election yearPercentage of
vote		Number of
overall seats won		+/–
2018 27.1 (#2)
31 / 552
New
As part of Civic Coalition, which won 194 seats in total.

References

  1. 1 2 Paul Kubicek (2017). European Politics. Taylor & Francis. p. 257. ISBN   978-1-317-20638-5.
  2. 1 2 Marek Payerhin, ed. (2016). Nordic, Central, and Southeastern Europe 2016-2017. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 339. ISBN   978-1-4758-2897-9.
  3. 1 2 3 Pehe, Veronika (13 January 2017). "The end of the liberal opposition – and not just in Poland". Krytyka Polityczna . Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. While MPs occupied the assembly hall, the leader of the neoliberal party Nowoczesna ("Modern"), Ryszard Petru, stated that due the parliamentary occupation, no opposition politician should go on vacation.
  4. 1 2 3 Sierakowski, Sławomir (12 August 2015). "The materialist turn in Polish politics". openDemocracy . The aftermath of the elections also saw the successful launch of a new party, Nowoczesna.pl [eng. modern], by Ryszard Petru, a well-known neoliberal economist and a protégé of Leszek Balcerowicz, the man behind Poland's post-'89 shock therapy.
  5. 1 2 Henningsen, Bernd; Etzold, Tobias; Hanne, Krister, eds. (15 September 2017). The Baltic Sea Region: A Comprehensive Guide: History, Politics, Culture and Economy of a European Role Model. Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag. p. 352. ISBN   978-3-8305-1727-6.
  6. 1 2 Nardelli, Alberto (22 October 2015). "Polish elections 2015: a guide to the parties, polls and electoral system". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Krzyszczyk, Kamil (2024). "Post-transformation Politics, Socio-Economic Cleavages and Populism in Central and Eastern Europe". Analysis and Policy in Economics. Paris School of Economics: 77.
  8. 1 2 "Co on kombinuje? Biedroń gratuluje PO i Nowoczesnej oraz zapowiada powstanie postępowej koalicji by zbudować nowoczesną Polskę". wPolityce.pl (in Polish). 8 June 2019.
  9. 1 2 Szostkiewicz, Adam (9 June 2016). "Nowoczesna nie taka nowoczesna". Polityka (in Polish).
  10. ↑ Marek Payerhin, ed. (2016). Nordic, Central, and Southeastern Europe 2016-2017. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 339. ISBN   9781475828979. Another new movement was the Modern of Ryszard Petru, later styled as Modern (Nowoczesna) or simply ".N." This classical liberal party created by an economist, Ryszard Petru, received 7.6% of votes and 28 seats in the Sejm (it later gained an additional deputy who left Kukiz'15)
  11. ↑ Henningsen, Bernd; Etzold, Tobias; Hanne, Krister (15 September 2017). The Baltic Sea Region: A Comprehensive Guide: History, Politics, Culture and Economy of a European Role Model. BWV Verlag. ISBN   9783830517276.
  12. ↑ Tom Lansford, ed. (2017). Political Handbook of the World 2016-2017. SAGE Publications. p. 1219. ISBN   978-1-5063-2715-0.
  13. ↑ ""Ciepła woda w kranie jest w Kijowie". Ryszard Petru obiecuje likwidację przywilejów" (in Polish). TVN24. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  14. 1 2 "NowoczesnaPL: uwolnić gospodarkę, zmienić system ubezpieczeń społecznych". Bankier.pl (in Polish). 31 May 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "Czarnecki: Ryszard Petru odnosi się do idei dawnej Unii Wolności, czyli politycznego trupa". www.gazetaprawna.pl (in Polish). 31 May 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  16. ↑ "NowoczesnaPL. Co powinniśmy wiedzieć o ugrupowaniu Ryszarda Petru? [8 punktów]". 24 January 2016. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  17. ↑ "Nowoczesna bez "PL", ale z kwadratową kropką. Ugrupowanie Petru zmienia wizerunek" (in Polish). TVN24. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "Nowoczesna.pl to plagiat? Fundacja protestuje przeciw zawłaszczaniu jej nazwy" (in Polish). wpolityce.pl. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "Nowoczesna z nowym rzecznikiem, logo i "jedynką"". Newsweek Polska (in Polish). 14 August 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 "PKW: PiS zdobyło 37,58 proc. głosów. Wchodzi pięć partii, lewica poza Sejmem" (in Polish). TVN24. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  21. ↑ Matthew S. Shugart; Rein Taagepera (2017). Votes from Seats: Logical Models of Electoral Systems. Cambridge University Press. p. 5. ISBN   978-1-108-41702-0.
  22. ↑ "Ciudadanos, Nowoczesna, Naša stranka and Civic Position join ALDE Party | ALDE Party". Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  23. ↑ "Nowoczesna wyprzedza PO, czyli rewolucja w sondażach [ANALIZA]". Newsweek.pl. 6 December 2015.
  24. ↑ "Sondaż IBRiS wybory: 23 czerwca 2016 r. - Badanie opinii". wnp.pl. 23 June 2016.
  25. 1 2 Broniatowski, Michał (26 November 2017). "Polish opposition party elects new female leader". Politico Europe . Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  26. ↑ "Founder of Poland's opposition Nowoczesna party quits". Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy.
  27. ↑ "Koniec klubu Nowoczesnej. Ośmiu posłów z .N przeszło do Platformy Obywatelskiej". PolskieRadio.pl. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  28. ↑ S.A, Wirtualna Polska Media (24 November 2019). "Adam Szłapka nowym przewodniczącym Nowoczesnej". wiadomosci.wp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  29. ↑ Czurczak, Aleksandra (24 October 2025). "Jest decyzja w sprawie Nowoczesnej. Szłapka o "kolejnym etapie"". Interia (in Polish).
  30. ↑ Reinhold Vetter (2017). Nationalismus im Osten Europas: Was Kaczynski und Orbán mit Le Pen und Wilders verbindet. Ch. Links Verlag. p. 61. ISBN   978-3-86153-939-1.
  31. ↑ "START - NOWOCZESNA". nowoczesna.org. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  32. ↑ "Gospodarka".
  33. ↑ Sierakowski, Sławomir (12 August 2015). "The materialist turn in Polish politics". openDemocracy .
  34. ↑ "Petru przyznaje: Podwyższymy wiek emerytalny" (in Polish). 4 September 2017.
  35. ↑ OKO.press. "Nowoczesna". oko.press (in Polish). Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Program ugrupowania określany jest jako centrolewicowy i proeuropejski.[The party's programme is described as centre-left and pro-European.]
  36. ↑ Jacek Turczyk (28 September 2017). "Dwa lata temu Nowoczesną popierało 22 proc., a teraz? SONDAŻ CBOS". wiadomosci.dziennik.pl (in Polish). W ciągu dwóch lat swojego istnienia Nowoczesna przeszła z pozycji centroprawicowych na centrolewicowe - podaje ośrodek.[In the two years of its existence, Nowoczesna has moved from centre-right to centre-left positions, reports the facility.]
  37. ↑ Sahuquillo, María R. (9 May 2016). "Decenas de miles de polacos salen a la calle en Varsovia contra la deriva autoritaria del Gobierno". El País (in Spanish). Warsaw.
  38. ↑ Jacuński, Michał (2018). "Digitalization and political party life in Poland – a study of selected communication habits of party members and elective representatives". Polish Political Science Review. Polski Przegląd Politologiczny. 6 (2). University of Wrocław: 20–21. doi: 10.2478/ppsr-2018-0011 .
  39. ↑ "Posłowie Nowoczesnej wstąpili do klubu Platformy Obywatelskiej-Koalicji Obywatelskiej". PolskieRadio24.pl.
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