Senate by-elections in Poland

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In Poland, in case of a premature expiry of a Senatorial term, by-elections are held to fill the vacancy. [1] Several by-elections have been held in Polish history following the Senate's reestablishment following the fall of Communism in Poland.

Contents

Electoral system

The Polish Senate is composed of one hundred Senators, all elected in single-seat constituencies, in contrast to several-seat electoral districts that are used to elect the Sejm. Unlike the Sejm, for which there are no by-elections, Senate by-elections are held if a Senator's term expires prematurely. A Senate term may expire prematurely in the case of: [1]

List of by-elections

1st term Senate (1989-1991)

Piotrków Constituency

Opole Constituency

Lublin Constituency

3rd term Senate (1993-1997)

Chełm Constituency

Elbląg Constituency

Szczecin Constituency

Wrocław Constituency

4th term Senate (1997-2001)

Katowice Constituency

Szczecin Constituency

Wrocław Constituency

Chełm Constituency

Wrocław Constituency

5th term Senate (2001-2005)

Constituency 2 (Wałbrzych)

Constituency 23 (Białystok)

Constituency 3 (Wrocław)

Constituency 1 (Legnica)

Constituency 22 (Rzeszów)

Constituency 26 (Bielsko-Biała)

Constituency 30 (Katowice)

Constituency 31 (Sosnowiec)

Constituency 29 (Rybnik)

Constituency 36 (Konin)

6th term Senate (2005-2007)

Constituency 33 (Elbląg)

By-elections were held in Constituency 33 (Elbląg) on 28 January 2007 to fill a vacancy left by the premature expiration of Elżbieta Gelert's term, who was elected one of the city councillors of Elbląg in the 2006 local elections.

CandidatePartyVotes%
Władysław Mańkut  [ pl ] Left and Democrats 4,02631.49
Antoni Czyżyk Civic Platform 3,50327.40
Jolanta Szulc  [ pl ] Polish People's Party 2,85222.31
Lech Kraśniański Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland 1,2229.56
Irena Tarnacka League of Polish Families 1,1839.25
Total12,786100.00
Valid votes12,78698.88
Invalid/blank votes1451.12
Total votes12,931100.00
Registered voters/turnout504,3212.56
Left and Democrats gain from Civic Platform
Source: National Electoral Commission [2]

7th term Senate (2007-2011)

In 2010, five by-elections were held, three of which alongside the 2010 Polish presidential election as a result of the passing of Senators Janina Fetlińska, Stanisław Zając and Krystyna Bochenek at the Smolensk air disaster.

Constituency 21 (Krosno)

By-elections were held in Constituency 21 (Krosno) on 22 June 2008 to fill a vacancy left by the premature expiration of Andrzej Mazurkiewicz's term, as he passed away as a result of a ruptured aneurysm on 21 March 2008. [3] [4]

CandidatePartyVotes%+/–
Stanisław Zając Law and Justice 40,99348.38+9.17 [a]
Maciej Lewicki Civic Platform 22,45726.50−3.1
Marek Jurek Right Wing of the Republic 10,75112.69+8.92
Andrzej Lepper Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland 3,4354.05−0.23
Wacław Posadzki Democratic Left Alliance 2,7033.19−6.18 [b]
Jan Kułaj  [ pl ] Democratic Party – demokraci.pl 1,7742.09
Tadeusz Kaleniecki  [ pl ] Polish Left 9931.17
Stanisław Sagan  [ pl ] Alliance of Democrats 3860.46
Zygmunt Wrzodak National Congress of Poland  [ pl ]3840.45
Krzysztof Rutkowski Independent 3570.42
Mirosław Orzechowski League of Polish Families 3080.36−3.96
Jerzy Wróbel Polish Labour Party 1940.23
Total84,735100.00
Valid votes84,73599.07
Invalid/blank votes7940.93
Total votes85,529100.00
Registered voters/turnout701,49912.19
Law and Justice hold
Source: National Electoral Commission [5]

Constituency 15 (Płock)

By-elections were held in Constituency 15 (Płock) on 20 June 2010 to fill a vacancy left by the premature expiration of Janina Fetlińska's term, as she passed away at the Smolensk air disaster. [6] It was held concurrently to the 2010 Polish presidential election.

CandidatePartyVotes%
Michał Boszko  [ pl ] Polish People's Party 132,42642.72
Marek Martynowski Law and Justice 127,44641.11
Tomasz Kałużyński Poland Plus 50,11116.17
Total309,983100.00
Valid votes309,98393.99
Invalid/blank votes19,8236.01
Total votes329,806100.00
Registered voters/turnout674,92048.87
Polish People's Party gain from Law and Justice
Source: National Electoral Commission [7]

Constituency 21 (Krosno)

By-elections were held in Constituency 21 (Krosno) on 20 June 2010 to fill a vacancy left by the premature expiration of Stanisław Zając's term, as he passed away at the Smolensk air disaster. [8] It was held concurrently to the 2010 Polish presidential election. Alicja Zając, the widow of the late incumbent, was elected with no opposition, though 18% of ballots cast were invalid. They were the second Senatorial by-elections held that term in Constituency 21.

CandidatePartyVotes%
Alicja Zając Law and Justice 269,928100.00
Total269,928100.00
Valid votes269,92881.57
Invalid/blank votes60,99218.43
Total votes330,920100.00
Registered voters/turnout709,19046.66
Law and Justice hold
Source: National Electoral Commission [7]

Constituency 30 (Katowice)

By-elections were held in Constituency 30 (Katowice) on 20 June 2010 to fill a vacancy left by the premature expiration of Krystyna Bochenek's term, as she passed away at the Smolensk air disaster. [9] It was held concurrently to the 2010 Polish presidential election.

CandidatePartyVotes%
Leszek Marian Piechota  [ pl ] Civic Platform 244,89959.84
Zbigniew Zdónek Polish Labour Party 82,78820.23
Adam Stach  [ pl ] Polish People's Party 81,56119.93
Total409,248100.00
Valid votes409,24894.07
Invalid/blank votes25,8125.93
Total votes435,060100.00
Registered voters/turnout817,36553.23
Civic Platform hold
Source: National Electoral Commission [7]

Constituency 37 (Piła)

By-elections were held in Constituency 37 (Piła) on 6 February 2011 to fill a vacancy left by the premature expiration of Piotr Głowski  [ pl ]'s term, who was elected mayor of Piła in the 2010 local elections. [10]

Henryk Stokłosa, long-time Senator from Piła Voivodeship, who began his career in the Senate at the 1989 Polish parliamentary election as the only non-Solidarity-endorsed candidate, was running again after being unseated in 2005 Polish parliamentary election. Following the election loss, Stokłosa was arrested for corruption, [11] but released on bail in December 2008. [12] Following the resignation of Piotr Głowski from the post of Senator to become mayor of Piła, Stokłosa declared his start in the upcoming by-elections, [13] and was the first to register. [14] Besides him, three more parties registered candidates: PO nominated Maria Janyska, SLD nominated Zbigniew Ajchler  [ pl ] and PSL nominated Leszek Łochowicz. PiS also tried to nominate a candidate but failed to gather enough signatures. [15] In the lead up to election day, Stokłosa was considered a favorite, accusing the government of being in a conspiracy to deprive him of his wealth, and criticizing mainsteam politicians for "taking advantage" of the Smolensk air disaster. [16] He ended up as the victor, winning 39.9% of the vote, being 10.34% ahead of Janyska in second place.

CandidatePartyVotes%+/–
Henryk Stokłosa  [ pl ] Independent 15,05739.90 [c]
Maria Janyska Civic Platform 11,15629.56+0.28 [d]
Zbigniew Ajchler  [ pl ] Democratic Left Alliance 6,52517.29−5.15
Leszek Łochowicz Polish People's Party 5,00013.25−7.49
Total37,738100.00
Valid votes37,73898.24
Invalid/blank votes6781.76
Total votes38,416100.00
Registered voters/turnout609,0786.31
Independent gain from Civic Platform
Source: National Electoral Commission [17]

According to sociologist Rafał Drozdowski  [ pl ], the low turnout of only 6.31% contributed to Stokłosa's victory. [18] After the election, Marshal of the Senate Bogdan Borusewicz stated that if Stokłosa was found guilty, he would be stripped of his Senatorial mandate. [19] He retired from national politics and didn't run again in the regular 2011 parliamentary election, engaging instead in local politics. [20]

8th term Senate (2011-2015)

Constituency 73 (Rybnik)

Constituency 55 (Mielec)

Constituency 47 (Mińsk Mazowiecki)

By-elections were held in Constituency 47 (Mińsk Mazowiecki) on 7 September 2014 to fill a vacancy left by the premature expiration of Henryk Górski's term, who passed away on 19 May 2014. [21]

2014 Senat by-election in Minsk Mazowiecki by powiat and gmina.svg
CandidatePartyVotes%+/–
Maria Koc Law and Justice 9,83258.35+19.53
Dariusz Jaszczuk Civic Platform 4,85528.81+3.06
Krzysztof Bosak National Movement 1,0826.42
Zbigniew Stąsiek Democratic Left Alliance 6663.95
Czesław Litwińczuk Democratic Party – demokraci.pl 2261.34
Józef Gorayski Direct Democracy 1881.12
Total16,849100.00
Valid votes16,84998.71
Invalid/blank votes2201.29
Total votes17,069100.00
Registered voters/turnout257,8096.62
Law and Justice hold
Source: National Electoral Commission [22] [23]

Constituency 73 (Rybnik)

Constituency 82 (Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski)

Constituency 75 (Tychy)

By-elections were held in Constituency 75 (Tychy) on 8 February 2015 to fill a vacancy left by the premature expiration of Elżbieta Bieńkowska's term, who was chosen as a member of the European Commission. [24]

2015 Senat by-election in Tycha by powiat and gmina.svg
CandidatePartyVotes%+/–
Czesław Ryszka  [ pl ] Law and Justice 8,54156.57
Michał Gramatyka Civic Platform 4,45229.49−15.75
Dariusz Dyrda  [ pl ] Silesian – Not Partisan 2,10413.94−18.41
Total15,097100.00
Valid votes15,09798.85
Invalid/blank votes1751.15
Total votes15,272100.00
Registered voters/turnout207,9327.34
Law and Justice gain from Civic Platform
Source: National Electoral Commission [25]

9th term Senate (2015-2019)

Constituency 59 (Białystok I)

By-elections were held in Constituency 59 (Białystok I) on 6 March 2016 to fill a vacancy left by the premature expiration of Bohdan Paszkowski's term, who was selected Voivode of Podlasie. [26]

CandidatePartyVotes%+/–
Anna Maria Anders Law and Justice 30,66147.26−2.39
Mieczysław Bagiński Polish People's Party 26,61841.03+13.36
Jerzy Ząbkiewicz Independent 4,1776.44
Szczepan Barszczewski Confederation for the Renewal of the Republic of Liberty and Hope 1,9923.07
Sławomir Gromadzki Ordinary Citizen 7641.18
Andrzej Chmielewski Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland 6691.03
Total64,881100.00
Valid votes64,88199.41
Invalid/blank votes3840.59
Total votes65,265100.00
Registered voters/turnout381,38217.11
Law and Justice hold
Source: National Electoral Commission [27]

11th term Senate (2023-incumbent)

Constituency 13 (Włocławek)

By-elections were held in Constituency 13 (Włocławek) on 21 July 2024 to fill a vacancy left by the premature expiration of Krzysztof Kukucki  [ pl ]'s term, who was elected mayor of Włocławek in the 2024 local elections. [28]

2024 Senat by-election in Wroclaw by powiat and gmina.svg
CandidatePartyVotes%+/–
Stanisław Pawlak  [ pl ] New Left 9,88846.30+0.25
Jarosław Chmielewski Righteous and Effective 7,62135.69−0.93
Tomasz Sikorowski Confederation New Hope 3,84618.01+8.30
Total21,355100.00
Valid votes21,35598.96
Invalid/blank votes2241.04
Total votes21,579100.00
Registered voters/turnout271,4547.95
New Left hold
Source: National Electoral Commission [29]

Constituency 33 (Kraków IV)

Senator Bogdan Klich of PO resigned from the office of Senator to assume a diplomatic post. [30] His mandate prematurely expired on 17 November 2024, [31] triggering a by-election in Constituency 33 (Kraków). The election will take place on 16 March 2025. [32]

Analysis

Turnout in Senate by-elections tends to be low, frequently falling under 10%. Between 1989 and 2014, the average turnout of Senate by-elections was 13.94%. Turnout tends to be higher when by-elections are held alongside regular elections. [33]

References

  1. 1 2 "Dz. U. 2011 Nr 21 poz. 112" (PDF). Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  2. "Obwieszczenie Państwowej Komisji Wyborczej z dnia 29 stycznia 2007 r. o wynikach wyborów uzupełniających do Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej przeprowadzonych w dniu 28 stycznia 2007 r." National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  3. "Odszedł senator Andrzej Tadeusz Mazurkiewicz" . Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  4. "M.P. 2008 nr 28 poz. 261" . Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  5. "Obwieszczenie Państwowej Komisji Wyborczej z dnia 23 czerwca 2008 r. o wynikach wyborów uzupełniających do Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej przeprowadzonych w dniu 22 czerwca 2008 r." National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  6. "M.P. 2010 nr 25 poz. 237" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  7. 1 2 3 "Obwieszczenie Państwowej Komisji Wyborczej z dnia 21 czerwca 2010 r. o wynikach wyborów uzupełniających do Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej przeprowadzonych w dniu 20 czerwca 2010 r." National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  8. "M.P. 2010 nr 26 poz. 244" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  9. "M.P. 2010 nr 25 poz. 236" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  10. "M.P. 2010 nr 91 poz. 1053" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  11. "Podzielone królestwo Henryka Stokłosy" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  12. "Stokłosa w blasku fleszy wyszedł z aresztu" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  13. "Piła - To już pewna wiadomość: Stokłosa startuje w wyborach!" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  14. "Wykaz zarejestrowanych kandydatów w wyborach uzupełniających do Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej zarządzonych na dzień 6 lutego 2011 r. w okręgu wyborczym nr 37" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  15. "Komitety wyborcze, które złożyły zawiadomienia o zamiarze zgłaszania kandydata na senatora oraz zawiadomienia o utworzeniu komitetu wyborczego, w wyborach uzupełniających do Senatu RP zarządzonych na dzień 6 lutego 2011 r." Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  16. "Smrodu nie ma. Henryk Stokłosa może wracać" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  17. "Obwieszczenie Państwowej Komisji Wyborczej z dnia 7 lutego 2011 r. o wynikach wyborów uzupełniających do Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej przeprowadzonych w dniu 6 lutego 2011 r." National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  18. "Prof. Drozdowski: Stokłosa wygrał, bo był rozpoznawalny" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  19. "Borusewicz: Stokłosa straci mandat, jeśli zostanie skazany" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  20. "Senator Henryk Stokłosa kończy z polityką" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  21. "M.P. 2014 poz. 477" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  22. "OBWIESZCZENIE PAŃSTWOWEJ KOMISJI WYBORCZEJ Z DNIA 8 WRZEŚNIA 2014 R. O WYNIKACH WYBORÓW UZUPEŁNIAJĄCYCH DO SENATU RZECZYPOSPOLITEJ POLSKIEJ PRZEPROWADZONYCH W DNIU 7 WRZEŚNIA 2014 R." National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  23. "Wyniki głosowania w podziale na kandydatów" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  24. "Odpuścili mandat po Bieńkowskiej" . Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  25. "Senate Constituency no. 75 [Tychy]". National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2025-02-21.
  26. "M.P. 2015 poz. 1297" . Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  27. "Obwieszczenie Państwowej Komisji Wyborczej z dnia 7 marca 2016 r. o wynikach wyborów uzupełniających do Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej przeprowadzonych w dniu 6 marca 2016 r." National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  28. "M.P. 2024 poz. 341" (PDF). Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  29. "Senate Constituency no. 13 [Włocławek]". National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  30. "Sprzeciw Andrzeja Dudy nic nie dał, senator rezygnuje. "Koszty powinna pokryć PO"" . Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  31. "Senatorowie". Archived from the original on 2025-02-20. Retrieved 2025-02-20. Bogdan Klich; mandat wygasł 17.11.2024 r.
  32. "Wybory uzupełniające do Senatu w okręgu wyborczym nr 33" . Retrieved 2025-02-20.
  33. "WYBORY UZUPEŁNIAJĄCE DO SENATU" (PDF). Retrieved 2025-02-21.

Notes

  1. Only results of Andrzej Mazurkiewicz in 2007
  2. Only results of Wacław Posadzki in 2007
  3. New; 17.13% in last election he contested (2005)
  4. Only results of Piotr Głowski in 2007