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Parliamentary elections will be held in Poland by 11 November 2027 at the latest to elect members of the Sejm and Senate, although they can be held sooner if a snap election is called. The last snap election was in 2007. The previous elections in 2023 saw the Law and Justice party win the most seats but fail to form a governing coalition, with a coalition government led by Civic Platform's Donald Tusk formed.
The Sejm elected by party-list proportional representation with seats allocated via the D'Hondt method in multi-seat constituencies, [1] with a 5% threshold for single parties and 8% threshold for coalitions (requirements waived for national minorities).
The date of the election will be set by the President of Poland. If the election is not called early, it has to take place within 30 days before the expiration of the current term and fall on a non-working day. The possible dates are:
The Civic Coalition is a coalition made up of the Civic Platform, Modern, Polish Initiative, and the Greens. The PO has been Poland's second largest political party since 2015 but became the largest party again in the 2024 EP election. They were the leading party of government from 2007 to 2015 and are members of the European People's Party Group (EPP Group).
Law and Justice was in power as the leader of a coalition government between 2015 and the 2023 Polish parliamentary election and was also the leading party of government from 2005 to 2007. United Poland and Kukiz'15 have also been a part of the government and collectively they are known as the United Right.
The Third Way is a centrist to centre-right, Christian democratic coalition. It is made up of the Polish People's Party, which served in all government coalitions since 1989, except those led by Law and Justice (2005–2007 and 2015–2023), and AWS (1997–2001), as well as Poland 2050 which is a new party led by media personality Szymon Hołownia who aims to "bring normality back to politics" in a more green conservative manner. TD is a coalition of members of Renew Europe (Poland 2050) and European People's Party Group (PSL).
The New Left is composed of social liberals, social democrats and democratic socialists, the latter of which is represented by a separate party, Left Together. The alliance's main predecessor, Democratic Left Alliance has been in government coalitions twice: first time in 1993, second in 2001. NL is a member of the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group.
Confederation is a de jure party but de facto coalition of New Hope, the National Movement, the Crown and other minor right-wing parties. They hold a mixture of right-libertarian, nationalist, and traditionalist Catholic views. They are members of Europe of Sovereign Nations Group (New Hope) and Patriots for Europe (National Movement).
The Democratic Left Alliance was a social-democratic political party in Poland. It was formed on 9 July 1991 as an electoral alliance of centre-left parties, and became a single party on 15 April 1999. It was the major coalition party in Poland between 1993 and 1997, and between 2001 and 2005, with four Prime ministers coming from the party: Józef Oleksy, Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, Leszek Miller and Marek Belka. It then faded into opposition, overshadowed by the rise of Civic Platform and Law and Justice.
Solidarity Electoral Action was a coalition of political parties in Poland, active from 1996 to 2001. AWS was the political arm of the Solidarity trade union, whose leader Lech Wałęsa, was President of Poland from 1990 to 1995, and the successor of the parties emerged from the fragmentation of the Solidarity Citizens' Committee.
The Polish People's Party is an agrarian political party in Poland. It is currently led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Labour Union is a minor social-democratic political party in Poland. It was a member of the Party of European Socialists (PES) until April 2022.
The Democratic Party, abbreviated to PD, was a minor social-liberal political party in Poland. It had no members of the Sejm, Senate, or European Parliament.
From 1989 through 1991, Poland engaged in a democratic transition which put an end to the Polish People's Republic and led to the foundation of a democratic government, known as the Third Polish Republic, following the First and Second Polish Republic. After ten years of democratic consolidation, Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union on 1 May 2004.
Law and Justice is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Reformists Group. Its chairman had been Jarosław Kaczyński since 18 January 2003.
The Greens is a political party in Poland.
Poland has a multi-party political system. On the national level, Poland elects the head of state – the president – and a legislature. There are also various local elections, referendums and elections to the European Parliament.
The Freedom Union was a liberal democratic political party in Poland.
Parliamentary elections were held in Poland on 23 September 2001. All 460 members of the Sejm and 100 senators of the Senate were elected. The election concluded with an overwhelming victory for the centre-left Democratic Left Alliance – Labor Union, the electoral coalition between the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) and the Labour Union (UP), which captured 41% of the vote in the crucial lower house Sejm. The 2001 election is recognized as marking the emergence of both Civic Platform (PO) and Law and Justice (PiS) as players in Polish politics, while also witnessing the outright collapse of the Solidarity Electoral Action (AWS) and its former coalition partner, the Freedom Union (UW).
Left and Democrats was a centre-left electoral alliance of political parties in Poland which was created on 3 September 2006, before the Warsaw municipal election of 2006. The coalition's aim was to provide an alternative for both Law and Justice and Civic Platform, which have been Poland's two major political parties since 2005. LiD contested their first national election in October 2007 and won 53 seats to the Polish parliament, the Sejm. The LiD alliance was dissolved in April 2008, following a rift between the member parties.
Parliamentary elections were held in Poland on 21 October 2007. All 460 members of the Sejm and 100 senators of the Senate were elected. The largest opposition group, Civic Platform (PO), which soundly defeated the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and its allies. Throughout the campaign, polls showed conflicting results as to which of the two parties had the greater support, yet by the closing week the polls had swung in favour of Civic Platform. Three other political groups won election into the Sejm, the centre-left Left and Democrats coalition, the agrarian Polish People's Party, and the tiny German Minority group. Both of Law and Justice's former minor coalition partners, the League of Polish Families and the Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland suffered an enormous voter backlash, failing to cross the 5% electoral threshold in order to enter the Sejm. Consequently, both parties lost all of their seats.
The Christian National Union was a Christian-democratic and nationalist political party in Poland. Established on 15 September 1989, the party traced its tradition to the Solidarity movement, as well as pre-World War II National Democracy and Polish Christian Democratic Party. The party adhered to the Christian right, advocating social conservatism. From its foundation until 1994, the party was led by Wiesław Chrzanowski, who was Marshal of the Sejm in 1991–1993.
Parliamentary elections were held in Poland on 9 October 2011. All 460 members of the Sejm and 100 senators of the Senate were elected. The ruling Civic Platform (PO) won a plurality of seats and Tusk became the first Polish prime minister to be appointed for a second consecutive term since the fall of communism. Both the Civic Platform and its junior partner, the Polish People's Party (PSL), agreed to continue their governing coalition after the election.
Parliamentary elections were held in Poland on 25 October 2015. All 460 members of the Sejm and 100 senators of the Senate were elected. The election was won by the largest opposition party, the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS), with 38% of the vote against the governing Civic Platform (PO), which achieved 24%. Official results, announced on 27 October, gave Law and Justice 235 of the 460 seats, a majority of four. PiS vice chairwoman Beata Szydło succeeded PO leader Ewa Kopacz as Prime Minister of Poland, heading a one-party cabinet.
Parliamentary elections were held in Poland on 13 October 2019. All 460 members of the Sejm and 100 senators of the Senate were elected. The ruling right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) won re-election to a second term retaining its majority in the Sejm. However, it lost its majority in the Senate to the opposition. With 43.6% of the popular vote, Law and Justice received the highest vote share by any party since Poland returned to democracy in 1989. The turnout was the highest for a parliamentary election since the first free elections after the fall of communism in 1989. For the first time after 1989, the ruling party controlled one house, while the opposition controlled the other.
The Polish Coalition is a political alliance in Poland. It is led by the Polish People's Party.
Parliamentary elections were held in Poland on 15 October 2023 to elect members of the Sejm and Senate. A referendum containing four questions concerning economic and immigration policy of the government was held simultaneously.
Szymon Hołownia's Poland 2050 is a centrist to centre-right political party in Poland.