Understanding the Polish Election

(Hat tip to EU Referendum)

• General Background:
1. From the BBC: Country profile: Poland
2. From Wikipedia: Poland
3. The Chancellery of the Prime Minister
4. Parliament (Sejm) of the Republic of Poland
• Political Analysis:
  
1. The Beatroot: The personell gets political (10/31/05)

   After failing to get Civic Platform (PO), the right wing, free market orientated party, which came second in the parliamentary elections last month, on side, PM designate, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, has announced that Law and Justice will form a minority government, making ad hoc, individual alliances to get their program through parliament.

2. EU Referendum: The twin has it (10/24/05)
3. The Beatroot:
   • Twins rule Poland (10/23/05)
   • It's Kaczynski!(10/23/05)
4. The Brussels Journal: Surprise: Kaczynski Again (10/24/05)
5. The Beatroot: Another late swing to Lech Kaczynski?(10/21/05)
6. EU Referendum: "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła" (10/20/05)
7. Polish Consulate: Tie off... (10/17/05)

   Six days ahead of the second round of Poland's presidential elections, liberal candidate Donald Tusk leads with over 57% support. His rival, conservative Lech Kaczynski has a 43 % backing. This in spite of his attempts last week to discredit Tusk by leaking information of Tusk's grandfather serving in the German army during WWII.
   
   Lech Kaczynski sacked his campaign manager who made the allegations and apologised to Tusk for the dirty trick in the campaign. On Sunday during a religious service both candidates exchanged a sign of peace, promising they would stick to business rather that digging up the past.
   . . . . .
   Presidential runners who had lost in the first round have offered to support the two remaining candidates. It is said that Marek Borowski, the leftist candidate, urged his electorate to cast votes for Tusk, while the radical leader of the farmer's Self Defence union Andrzej Lepper has offered to back Lech Kaczynski. Robert Strybel, a correspondent of Polish American media, doubts however, that these declarations will any effect when it comes to voting.

8. The Beatroot:
   • Duck suddenly gets that sinking feeling(10/13/05)
   • Grandpa-gate: the story continues...(10/14/05)
9. EU ReferendumYet more Polish elections (10/10/05)
10. The Beatroot: Tusk leads duck(10/9/05)

    Donald Tusk and Lech Kaczynski will contest a second round in the presidential election in two weeks time.
    Depending which exit survey you believe, he polled between five and six percent more than the Law and Justice candidate. The east and rural areas voted more for Kaczynski, the west and urban for Tusk.

11. The Beatroot:
    • Presidential candidate: Andrzej Lepper (10/5/05)
    • Drop outs favour Kaczynski (10/5/05)
12. Polish Consulate:
    • Tusk picking up (10/5/05)
    • Different polls paint different pictures... (10/4/05)
13. Wyre Forest Liberals: Donald Tusk (9/20/05)(In Polish)
14. The Beatroot:
    • Why are Poles so allergic to the ballot box? (10/1/05)
    • Winners and losers (9/30/05)
15. Polish Consulate: Presidential Poles (9/30/05)
16. The Beatroot: Taxing negotiations (9/30/05)
17. Captain's Quarters: Poland's Conservatives Sweep Into Power (9/26/05)

    The new regime also will likely strongly support the US on foreign policy. They have declared themselves open to negotiating an extension on the Polish commitment for their troops in Iraq, while the previous government had quietly informed us that they intended to leave in December when their initial agreement ended. They will also keep the pressure on in Belarus, pushing for democratization in what has been called Europe's last dictatorship.
    
    

18. Polish Consulate (9/28/05):
    • THE NIGHT AFTER

      Two parties are the winners in the election-the Civic Platform (PO) and Law and Justice (PiS), each of them an excellent opposition party for the other.

    • Kaczynski gaining ground...
19. The Beatroot: Kazimierz who? (9/28/05)

    Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz is a mathematics and physics graduate, who has been linked with Catholic conservatives since the start of his parliamentary career 12 years ago. In the outgoing parliament he headed the treasury commission, which oversees privitisation policy. He is said to belong to the market-oriented wing of Law and Justice.
    
    He's considered to be the author of his party's economic agenda - which is no great compliment as many have noticed that PiS don’t actually appear to have a clear economic policy.

20. BBC: Polish conservatives pick premier (9/27/05)

    The Law and Justice (PiS) party was widely expected to choose its own leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
    
    But Mr Kaczynski said Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, 45, was the best choice if the party wanted to "quickly create an effective government".
    
    The announcement was welcomed by the PiS' allies, the Civic Platform (PO).
    
    "Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz is well-prepared to deal with economic issues, which were a source of dispute between us and the Civic Platform," Mr Kaczynski said.

21. Polish Consulate: Final results... (9/27/05)

    The official final results of Poland’s general election held last Sunday announced this afternoon are as follows: Conservative Law and Justice – headed by the Kaczynski brothers, of whom Lech is the mayor of Warsaw - has won 155 seats inthe 460-seat lower house. It is followed by liberal Civic Platform with 133. If both parties agree to form a coalition they would together have a number of seats short of the 307 two third majority needed to, for example, amend the constitution.
    4 more parties exceeded the 5% threshold. These include the farmers’ militant Self defence 56 seats, leftist Democratic Left Alliance – 55 seats in the lower house, league of the Polish families 34 and Peasant party 25 seats.
    Turnout amounted to 40.5%.

22. BBC: Poll means new EU role for Poland (9/26/05)
23. Polish Consulate: Law and Justice and Civic Platform to form next government (9/26/05)

    A coalition between Law and Justice (PiS) and Civic Platform will form the new government, and negotiations will start soon this week. “We have long said that we want this coalition and there are no reasons why this shouldn’t happen,” said Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the favorite to become Poland’s next Prime Minister. kaczynski has indicated, however, that we will only take the job if his twin brother Lech does not win the October 9 presidential elections.
    

24. PolBlog: Jaded For Free: Kaczyñski for Polish Neocons? (9/23/05)
25. The Beatroot (9/26/05)
    • Is the General Election result bad news for Tusk?

      The Polish president is a toothless beast, with only the power of veto and no real policy making abilities.
      
      The real power is in parliament –and that now lies with a bunch of ill matched conservatives and free-marketeers. Expect lots and lots of bitching in the weeks to come.

    • No double trouble at the top
26. Polish Consulate ...: Polish Election exit polls... (9/26/05)
27. The BBC: Poland veers to right at election (9/25/05)

    Since the fall of communism in 1989, no Polish government has been re-elected.

28. The Beatroot: History repeats. . . (9/25/05)
29. The BBC: Q&A: Polish elections (9/23/05)
30. The BBC: Analysis: Polish election battle (9/23/05)
31. Technorati Search: Polish General Election
• Commentary:
1. PolBlog: PolBlogcast: Post Election Warsaw - Morning in Poland? (9/28/05)
2. Bogus Gold: The Polish Challenge (9/26/05)
3. Hammerswing 75: Poland (9/25/05) (HT2BG)

(This post will be updated as information becomes available.)