2009 European Parliament election in Poland explained

Election Name:2009 European Parliament election in Poland
Country:Poland
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2004 European Parliament election in Poland
Previous Year:2004
Next Election:2014 European Parliament election in Poland
Next Year:2014
Seats For Election:50 seats to the European Parliament
Election Date:7 June 2009
Turnout:24.53%
Leader1:Danuta Hübner
Party1:Civic Platform
Alliance1:European People's Party
Last Election1:15 seats, 24.1%
Seats1:25
Seat Change1:10
Popular Vote1:3 271 852
Percentage1:44.43%
Swing1:20.33%
Leader2:Michał Kamiński
Party2:Law and Justice
Alliance2:European Conservatives and Reformists
Last Election2:7 seats, 12.67%
Seats2:15
Seat Change2:8
Popular Vote2:2 017 607
Percentage2:27.40%
Swing2:14.73%
Leader4:Wojciech Olejniczak
Party4:Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)
Alliance4:Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Last Election4:5 seats, 9.35%
Seats4:7
Seat Change4:2
Popular Vote4:908 765
Percentage4:12.34%
Swing4:2.99%
Leader5:Janusz Piechociński
Party5:Polish People's Party
Alliance5:European People's Party
Last Election5:4 seats, 6.34%
Seats5:3
Seat Change5:1
Popular Vote5:516 146
Percentage5:7.01%
Swing5:0.67%

The 2009 European Parliament election in Poland was the election of the delegation from Poland to the European Parliament in 2009 which took place on 7 June 2009.[1] On 13 February the Sejm (the lower house of the Polish parliament) accepted a proposal for an amendment to the electoral court act to allow voting for the European Parliament election of 2009 to take place over 2 days i.e. the 6 and 7 June 2009. However, on 5 March, the proposal was referred to the Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Poland by the Polish President, Lech Kaczyński.[2] The Polish electorate elected 50 MEPs.[1] In the 27 EU Member States, at total of 736 MEPs were elected from 4–7 June 2009.[1]

As anticipated, the Civic Platform (PO) won a significant victory, winning more than 44% of the vote and gaining half of the total seats. PO's vote was higher than their 41.5% achieved at the 2007 Polish parliamentary election, and to date was the highest vote achieved by a Polish political party to either the Sejm (national legislature) or the European Parliament. Law and Justice (PiS), came second (27.4%), having more than doubled their vote and seats won as compared to the 2004 EU election, but their vote fell, in comparison to the national elections of 2007. PO polled strongest in the western half of Poland, whilst PiS polled best in the eastern half, particularly the south-east.

The largest grouping on the left, the Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union (SLD-UP) came in at a distant third with 12.3% of the vote and seven seats. At one time, the biggest party in Poland, the Democratic Left Alliance's vote was fairly static over the past five years, and they have been unable to challenge the dominance of PO and PiS, since 2005. The Polish People's Party (PSL) came fourth with 7% of the vote, and won three seats. The remaining parties failed to reach the 5% threshold required to win seats.

The election result demonstrated a stability in voting patterns in the country. Previously, especially prior to 2005, the political environment in Poland was rather unpredictable, with big swings away from established parties, towards alternative parties, and ongoing splits and mergers of key parties. In 2009, however, the voting pattern did not vary too substantially from the 2007 elections, with the large parties consolidating their positions, and smaller parties failing to make a breakthrough.

Contesting committees

NameIdeologyEuropean Union positionLeaderMain candidate[3] Alliance2004 resultCurrent seats
Vote (%)Seats
Civic Platform (PO)Centrism, catch-allHard pro-EuropeanismDonald TuskDanuta HübnerEPP24.1%
Law and Justice (PiS)Forward Poland
• Piast
National conservatism, Christian democracySoft EuroscepticismJarosław KaczyńskiMichał KamińskiUEN12.7%
Alliance for the Future (PdP)Democratic Party – demokraci.pl
Social Democracy of Poland
The Greens
Union of the Left
Alliance of Democrats
Social liberalism, social democracyHard pro-EuropeanismDariusz RosatiALDE
S&D
G-EFA
12.9%
Libertas Poland (LP)League of Polish Families
Party of Regions
Forward Poland
• Piast
Anti-Lisbon Treaty, souverainismHard EuroscepticismDaniel PawłowiecUEN
NI
15.9%
Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)Labor Union
National Party of Retirees and Pensioners
Social democracy, third wayHard pro-EuropeanismGrzegorz NapieralskiWojciech Olejniczak9.4%
Polish People's Party (PSL)Agrarianism, Christian democracyHard pro-EuropeanismWaldemar PawlakJanusz PiechocińskiEPP6.3%
Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland (SRP)Agrarian socialism, left-wing populismHard EuroscepticismAndrzej LepperJan SochockiS&D
UEN
EUD
10.8%
Polish Labour Party (PPP)Democratic socialism, anti-capitalismSoft EuroscepticismBogusław ZiętekGUE-NGL0.5%
Right Wing of the Republic (PR)Political Catholicism, Christian rightSoft EuroscepticismMarek JurekIND/DEMstyle="text-align:center;"-
Real Politics Union (UPR)Right-Libertarianism, Laissez-faireHard EuroscepticismBolesław WitczakNI1.9%

Lead candidates by constituency

ConstituencyLibertasCite
Janusz LewandowskiHanna Foltyn-KubickaLongin PastusiakWojciech PrzybylskiDariusz SzwedTomasz Sommerhttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/1.htm
Tadeusz ZwiefkaRichard CzarneckiJanusz ZemkeEugeniusz KłopotekHenryk KierzkowskiRyszard Kozłowskihttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/2.htm
Krzysztof LisekJacek KurskiTadeusz IwińskiStanisław ŻelichowskiMarian SzamatowiczRyszard Benderhttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/3.htm
Danuta HübnerMichał KamińskiWojciech OlejniczakJanusz PiechocińskiDariusz RosatiArtur Zawiszahttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/4.htm
Jacek KozłowskiAdam BielanMarek WikińskiJarosław KalinowskiMarek CzarneckiDariusz Grabowskihttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/5.htm
Jacek Saryusz-WolskiUrszula KrupaJolanta Szymanek-DereszAdam FronczakMagdalena ŚrodaBolesław Borysiukhttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/6.htm
Filip KaczmarekKonrad SzymańskiMarek SiwiecAndrzej GrzybSylwia PuszAnna Sobeckahttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/7.htm
Lena Kolarska - BobińskaMirosław PiotrowskiJacek CzerniakEdward WojtasMarek BorowskiZdzisław Podkańskihttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/8.htm
Marian KrzaklewskiTomasz PorębaMarta NiewczasMieczysław JanowskiKrzysztof MartensDaniel Pawłowiechttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/9.htm
Róża Gräfin Von Thun Und HohensteinZbigniew ZiobroAndrzej SzejnaCzesław SiekierskiJanusz OnyszkiewiczWojciech Wierzejskihttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/10.htm
Jerzy BuzekMarek MigalskiJerzy MarkowskiJanusz MoszyńskiGenowefa GrabowskaPiotr Ślusarczykhttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/11.htm
Jacek ProtasiewiczRyszard LegutkoLidia Geringer De OedenbergStanisław RakoczyJózef PiniorJanusz Dobroszhttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/12.htm
Sławomir NitrasMarek GróbarczykBogusław LiberadzkiJuliusz EngelhardtRadosław PopielaKrzysztof Zarembahttp://pe2009.pkw.gov.pl/PUE/PL/KOMITETY/13.htm

Opinion polls

width=150pxSourcewidth=120pxDatewidth=100pxPOwidth=100pxPiSwidth=100pxSLD-UPwidth=100pxPSLwidth=100pxPdPwidth=100pxUndecided
CBOSMarch 2009bgcolor=lightgrey40%17%10%5%1%21%
TNS OBOP2–5 April 2009bgcolor=lightgrey54%21%7%6%28%
PBS3–5 April 2009bgcolor=lightgrey49%22%13%6%3%
GFK24–26 April 2009bgcolor=lightgrey47%26%12%6%
Gemius5 May 2009bgcolor=lightgrey40%16%11%3%2%
TNS OBOP6–7 May 2009bgcolor=lightgrey47%22%12%8%2%
Homo Homini7 May 2009bgcolor=lightgrey48.9%22.4%12.2%4.6%1.3%8%
TNS OBOP15 May 2009bgcolor=lightgrey48%25%8%5%5%
Gemius19 May 2009bgcolor=lightgrey39%20%7%6%4%
Homo Homini26 May 2009bgcolor=lightgrey45%25%11%7%3%
GFK3–4 June 2009bgcolor=lightgrey51%24%15%6%
SMG/KRC5 June 2009bgcolor=lightgrey54%25%9%7%

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wybory Europejskie – 7 czerwca 2009 . 2009 European Parliament . europarl.europa.eu . 6 March 2009 . pl . 23 January 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090123130328/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/008-44690-350-12-51-901-20081216IPR44689-15-12-2008-2008-false/default_pl.htm . dead .
  2. Web site: Nowela ordynacji wyborczej zaskarżona . Presspublica Sp. z o.o. . 6 March 2009 . 8 March 2009 . pl . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927015051/http://www.rp.pl/artykul/266075%2C272194.html . 27 September 2011 . dead . dmy-all.
  3. Leading candidate in Warsaw (if the party leader does not run personally in another district)