1919 Polish parliamentary election explained

Country:Second Polish Republic
Flag Year:1919
Next Election:1922
Seats For Election:All 394 seats in Legislative Sejm
Majority Seats:198
First Election:yes
Leader1:Wojciech Korfanty
Party1:Popular National Union
Seats1:140
Percentage1:28.96
Party2:Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie"
Last Election2:new
Seats2:59
Percentage2:15.05
Leader3:Izaak Grünbaum
Party3:ŻRN
Color3:
  1. 9A535B
Last Election3:New
Seats3:11
Percentage3:10.80
Leader4:Ignacy Daszyński
Party4:Polish Socialist Party
Last Election4:New
Seats4:35
Percentage4:9.23
Leader5:Wincenty Witos
Party5:Polish People's Party "Piast" (1913–1931)
Last Election5:New
Seats5:46
Percentage5:4.17
Party6:Polish People's Union
Last Election6:New
Seats6:35
Percentage6:3.80
Party7:Polish People's Party "Left"
Last Election7:New
Seats7:12
Percentage7:3.54
Party8:Catholic People's Party (Poland)
Last Election8:New
Seats8:18
Percentage8:1.83
Leader9:
Party9:German lists
Color9:black
Last Election9:New
Seats9:2
Percentage9:1.73
Party10:National Workers' Union (Poland)
Last Election10:New
Seats10:32
Percentage10:1.21
Leader11:
Party11:Independents
Last Election11:New
Seats11:4
Percentage11:15.47
President of Ministers
Before Party:Independent politician
After Party:Independent politician

Parliamentary elections were held in Poland on 26 January 1919, electing the first Sejm of the Second Polish Republic. The elections, based on universal suffrage and proportional representation, was the first free election in the country's history. It produced a parliament balanced between the right, left and centre, although the elections were boycotted by the Polish communists and the Jewish Bund. In the territories where the election took place, voter turnout was from 70% to 90%. Right-wing parties won 50% of votes, left-wing parties around 30%, and Jewish organisations more than 10%.

Background

In 1919, the borders of the newly restored Polish state were not yet established. As a result, the government of Poland led by Jozef Pilsudski had problems creating the electoral districts. Upon a decree, signed by Pilsudski on 28 November 1918, Poland was divided into several districts, some of whom were not even part of the country. The list of these districts presents a declaration of Polish territorial claims rather than real situation of late 1918. It covers the whole territory of the Kingdom of Poland (1916–1918), formerly Russian Belostok Oblast, as well as whole former Austrian province of Galicia, even though its eastern part was area of a conflict between Poles and Ukrainians (see Polish–Ukrainian War).

The situation was even more complicated in the West, in territories which had belonged to the German Empire. Polish legislators created there several electoral districts, even in lands that never became part of the Second Polish Republic. Thus, apart from districts of Poznań, Toruń, Kartuzy, Katowice, and Gostyń, the government stipulated creation of districts in such locations, as Bytom (Beuthen), Nysa, Złotów (Flatow), Gdańsk (Danzig), and Olsztyn (Allenstein). The 1919 election was not organised in these areas, as they remained part of Germany until 1945.

Furthermore, Polish legislators wanted the election to be organised in whole Cieszyn Silesia (see also Trans-Olza). Therefore, districts were created there in Cieszyn and Frýdek-Místek. Also, the Nowy Targ district covered several communes of Orawa, and Spisz, with such towns, as Kežmarok, Stará Ľubovňa, and Spišská Nová Ves (these locations had been part of Poland until the late 18th century).

Aftermath

The resulting parliament came to be known as the Legislative Sejm (Sejm Ustawodawczy). Among the first tasks of the Sejm was creation of the constitution, and the Small Constitution of 1919 was ratified ten days after the first session, on 20 February 1919. In 1921 parliament ratified the more comprehensive but also more controversial—supported by the Right, opposed by the Left—March Constitution of Poland.

Further reading

External links