This article lists current political parties in Poland, as well as former parties dating back as far as 1918. Since 1989, Poland has had a multi-party system, with numerous competing political parties. Individual parties normally do not manage to gain power alone, and usually work with other parties to form coalition governments.
The transition from a mono-party Communist regime to liberal democracy and pluralism resulted in new political parties mushrooming in the early 1990s. After the first free parliamentary elections in 1991 seats in the Sejm were divided among more than a dozen different parties (amongst them such curiosities as the Polish Beer-Lovers' Party (Polska Partia Przyjaciół Piwa), led by a popular comedy actor, Janusz Rewiński). The existence of so many parties in the Sejm was seen by many as being counterproductive to the effectiveness of the parliament and a hindrance towards producing stable governments. Consequently, electoral reform was undertaken and an electoral threshold for the Lower House was instituted prior to the 1993 elections. The set threshold required a minimum vote of 5% for parties (with exemptions for ethnic minority parties) and 8% for electoral coalitions. The threshold was set at the national, rather than divisional, level, and had the effect of preventing many minor parties from winning seats in later elections. The threshold also prevented independent candidates from gaining election to the Sejm. Since 1990, the left side of the political scene has generally been dominated by former Communists turned social democrats. The right has largely comprised (former) Solidarity activists and supporters, but experienced deep divisions from the beginning, and showed less cohesiveness than the left. The right were unable to create a single bloc which could act as a lasting counterweight to the left-wing monolith, but instead, kept merging, splitting and renaming. Even so, the parties of the right did manage to win government again from 1997 to 2001 (having initially governed from 1989 to 1993).
Since the parliamentary elections of 2005, the right-wing parties have dominated the political scene, and appear to be in their strongest position to date. Two important developments in the political landscape have taken place since 2005. Firstly, the SLD (Communist successor) party is no longer the major, or one of the two major parties. Secondly, the main political battleground is no longer between the ex-Solidarity right versus the ex-Communist left. The new competing groupings are those of the Law and Justice party (promoting economic interventionism and social conservatism) and the Civic Platform (representing a more liberal-conservative position). The general public disapproval of politics and politicians as a whole has resulted in almost all major parties excluding the very word "party" from their names, replacing it with words less associated with politics, such as "union", "platform", "league" or "alliance".
| Party | Leader | Ideology | Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polish Communist Party Komunistyczna Partia Polski | KPP | Krzysztof Szwej | Founded in 2002 as the successor of the Union of Polish Communists "Proletariat", which was founded in 1990. It is considered to be the historical and ideological heir of the Communist Party of Poland, which operated from 1918 to 1938. Affiliated with INITIATIVE.[7] | |||
| Edward Gierek's Economic Revival Movement Ruch Odrodzenia Gospodarczego im. Edwarda Gierka | ROG | Paweł Bożyk | Communism Socialism Anti-capitalism Anti-Atlanticism | Refers to the achievements of Edward Gierek's (Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party, 1970–1980) rule. It is against Poland's membership in NATO and postulated the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. | ||
| Party | Leader | Ideology | Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Beyond Boundaries Zjednoczeni Ponad Podziałami | ZPP | Wojciech Kornowski | Left-wing populism Catholic left | Founded in 2018 by former leader of The Confederation of Polish Employers, Wojciech Kornowski. Its main goal is protecting retired seniors, pensioners and trust-busting. Known as Action of Disappointed Retirees and Pensioners until 2022 (Polish: Akcja Zawiedzionych Emerytów Rencistów, AZER). | ||
| National Party of Retirees and Pensioners Krajowa Partia Emerytów i Rencistów | KPEiR | Tomasz Mamiński | Social democracy Catholic socialism | Founded in 1994. It lost its first parliamentary election in 1997 winning just 2.18% and no seat in Sejm and Senate. In the parliamentary elections in 2015, several activists of KPEiR competed for the Sejm from the lists of the United Left, which did not obtain any seats. | ||
| Better Poland Lepsza Polska | LP | Cezary Stachoń | Green politics Egalitarianism Solidarism Degrowth | Small green party related to the degrowth movement which took part in the 2010 Warsaw mayoral election.[8] | ||
| Peasants' Party Partia Chłopska | PCh | Krzysztof Filipek | Agrarian socialism Left-wing populism Peasant movement Catholic left | Founded by Krzysztof Filipek and other former members of Self-Defence. | ||
| Polish Party of Animal Protection Polska Partia Ochrony Zwierząt | PPOZ | Andrzej Olszewski | Animal rights Animal welfare Environmentalism Vegetarianism Green politics Social democracy | PPOZ aspires to turn away from the anthropocentric view of life. Its main goal is the introduction of more animal rights. | ||
| Self-Defence Rebirth Samoobrona Odrodzenie | SO | Sławomir Izdebski[9] | Agrarian socialism Catholic socialism Catholic left Laborism Left-wing nationalism Left-wing populism | Founded in 2007 from the merger of the Self-Defense Social Movement party and several other marginal groups formed by splitters from the Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland. | ||
| Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland Samoobrona Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej | SRP | Krzysztof Prokopczyk | SRP became prominent in the 2001 parliamentary election, winning 53 seats, after which it gave confidence and supply to the SLD government. It elected 6 MEPs in 2004 and switched its support to PiS after the 2005 election, in which it won 56 seats and entered the government coalition. In 2007, the party leader was dismissed from his position and the party withdrew from the coalition. This precipitated a new election, at which the party collapsed and lost all of its seats. | |||
| Liberty and Equality Wolność i Równość | WiR | Piotr Musiał | Democratic socialism Progressivism Anti-clericalism Pro-Europeanism | Founded in 2005 as a Union of the Left, in 2015 its name was changed to Liberty and Equality. It usually takes part in elections as part of coalitions of larger left-wing parties. | ||
| Party | Leader | Ideology | Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Left AssociationStowarzyszenie Lewicy Demokratycznej | SLD | Jerzy Teichert | Social democracy Pro-Europeanism | |||
| Polish Left Polska Lewica | PL | Jacek Zdrojewski | Formed in 2007 when former Prime Minister Leszek Miller and many other members of parliament withdrew from the Democratic Left Alliance, which Miller had headed for many years. His departure also served as a public protest against the policies of party leaders. In 2010 Miller left the party and decided to return to SLD. | |||
| New Democracy - Yes Nowa Demokracja - Tak | ND-T | Marek Materek | Progressivism[10] Regionalism Localism Decentralization | Left-wing party founded by Marek Materek that seeks to empower local governments and promote decentralisation of Poland. The party gathers together various regionalist and autonomist activists, along with local government officials that seek to reverse excessive centralisation of the Polish administration.[11] | ||
| Party | Leader | Ideology | Comments | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan Local Government Activists Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy | BS | Robert Raczyński | Localism Regionalism[12] Federalism[13] Pro-Europeanism | Decentralised and federalised party formerly associated with the progressive wing of Christian democracy that promotes local and regional interests, and advocates for democratisation and federalisation of the Polish administrative system. | |||
| Social Democracy of Poland | SDPL | Wojciech Filemonowicz | Social democracy Social liberalism Progressivism | Founded in 2004 as a splinter group from Democratic Left Alliance. SDPL contested its first elections in 2004. Party gained 5.3%, which saw 3 members elected to the European Parliament. In 2005 they managed to gain 3.9% of the vote and fell short of the 5% threshold. SDPL put forward its leader Marek Borowski as candidate for the presidential elections. He came 4th winning 10.3% of the vote. SDPL usually takes part in elections as part of coalitions. | |||
| Alliance of Democrats Stronnictwo Demokratyczne | SD | Paweł Piskorski | Social democracy Christian democracy Pro-Europeanism | Originated in the Democratic Clubs, which were opposed to authoritarian tendencies in Poland between the two World Wars. The first club was founded in Warsaw in 1937. In the People's Republic of Poland SD became a satellite party of the communist Polish United Workers' Party regime. After 1990, most of the members of the SD joined other parties, such as the Freedom Union. Party continued to exist, but had only a small support base, and was not represented in parliament. Affiliated with EDP. | |||
| Party | Leader | Ideology | Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Solidarity/Shared Poland Ruch Wspólna Polska | WP | Rafał Trzaskowski | Progressivism Conservatism Liberalism Pro-Europeanism | Shared Poland (Polish: Ruch Wspólna Polska), also known as New Solidarity (Polish: Nowa Solidarność), is a political movement started by Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw and former leading candidate in the 2020 Polish Presidential Election. It was founded in October 2020. | ||
| Direct Democracy Demokracja Bezpośrednia | DB | Marzena Petykiewicz | Direct democracy E-democracy Progressivism Populism | DB's creation was inspired by the 2012 protests against ACTA. In the elections to the European Parliament in 2014, DB set up its own committee, which received 0.23% of the votes. In the 2015 presidential election, DB's candidate was Paweł Tanajno, who took the last place with 0.2% of votes. In the parliamentary elections in 2015, five DB activists (including Tanajno) entered the Sejm from lists of the Kukiz'15. None of them received a mandate. | ||
| One-PL Jeden-PL | 1PL | Włodzimierz Zydorczak | Eurofederalism Liberalism Direct democracy | Founded as Civic Republic of Poland. | ||
| Polish Internet Party Polska Partia Internetowa | PPI | Leszek Lacheta | Green liberalism E-democracy Liberalism | Founded in 2019. Party combines ecologic stances with economic liberalism. | ||
| Polish Pirate Party Polska Partia Piratów | P3 | Michał Dydycz | Pirate politics Liquid democracy Pro-Europeanism | Before European Parliament elections in 2014, P3 concluded an agreement with DB, by virtue of which its activists were included in the lists of the DB committee, which received 0.23% of the votes. In the local elections of the same year, Tomasz Słowiński was nominated by KNP as a candidate in Skierniewice presidential elections, taking the last, 6th place with slightly more than 2% support. Affiliated with PPEU. | ||
Polskie Stronnictwo Demokratyczne | PSD | Krzysztof Góralczyk | Christian democracy Liberalism Centrism | Founded in 2013 by Christian democratic wing of Alliance of Democrats. It started transient cooperation with Poland Together. | ||
| Enterprising Republic of Poland Przedsiębiorcza Rzeczypospolita Polska | PRP | Robert Krzemiński | Economic liberalism Anti-bureaucratism Populism | Main postulates of party include liberalisation of economy, reduction of taxes and introduction of criminal and financial responsibility of officials. | ||
| Party | Leader | Ideology | Comments | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AgreementPorozumienie | Magdalena Sroka | Liberal conservatism Pro-Europeanism | It was founded in November 2017. According to its program, it defines as a pro-European Union party, and as a "modern conservative" party, with strong emphasis on economic liberalism and reducing bureaucracy, and claims to be moderately conservative on social and cultural issues. It believes that local government should be encouraged and supported by the central government.[14] [15] [16] | ||||
| Good MovementDobry Ruch | DR | Paweł Szramka | Classical liberalism Libertarianism Pro-Europeanism | It was formed on the 19th of April 2023 as a rebranded version of the We Can party (Możemy). Before rebranding as Dobry Ruch, Możemy was a classical liberal and pro-European party, "bearing in mind the personal, economic and political freedom of all citizens". In their ideological declaration, the party opted for legalizing cannabis, civil partnerships, introduction of voluntary medical insurance, separation of church and state, and decentralisation. Although it supports NATO and European integration, it opposes a European superstate.[17] | |||
| Christian Democracy of the 3rd Polish Republic Chrześcijańska Demokracja III Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej | ChDRP | Lech Wałęsa | Christian democracy Social conservatism | Founded in 1997 by former president Lech Wałęsa. It took the German CDU as a role model. In 2000 Wałęsa ran in the presidential election, receiving 1.01% of votes (he took 7th place out of 12 candidates). | |||
| Organisation of the Polish Nation - Polish League Organizacja Narodu Polskiego – Liga Polska | ONP-LP | Stanisław Bujnicki | Political Catholicism Polish minority interests[18] Protectionism Economic nationalism Christian democracy | Political party which associates Poles living abroad. | |||
| Confederation of Independent Poland Konfederacja Polski Niepodległej | KPN | Władysław Borowiec | Polish nationalism Sanationism Anti-communism Syncretic politics | Founded in 1979 by Leszek Moczulski and others declaring support for the pre-war traditions of Sanacja and Józef Piłsudski. It was the first independent political party that was publicly proclaimed in the Eastern Bloc. After the fall of communism, Leszek Moczulski got only 2.5% of votes in 1990 presidential election. In 1991 parliamentary election the party got 7.5% of the vote, while in the 1993 parliamentary election it received 5.7%. | |||
| Freedom Party Partia Wolności | PW | Anna Karbowska | Conservative liberalism Economic liberalism Republicanism | Founded by moderate splitters from Congress of the New Right and "The Republicans" Association. | |||
| People's Party "Patrimony" Stronnictwo Ludowe "Ojcowizna" | SL"O" | Kazimierz Chorzępa | Agrarianism Social conservatism Solidarism | Refers to the Polish People's-Christian Forum "Patrimony" - a party operating in the years 1991–1997. Many activists of trade union "Solidarity of Individual Farmers" belong to "Patrimony". Its founder Roman Bartoszcze was a candidate in 1990 presidential elections. | |||
| Labour Party Stronnictwo Pracy | SP | Zbigniew Wrzesiński | Solidarism Christian democracy Social market economy | Founded in 1989 on the initiative of the activists of the Christian Democratic Club of Political Thought. In 1990 the name Christian-Democratic Labour Party (ChDSP) was adopted. It referred to the Labour Party operating in the years 1937–1950. | |||
| Party | Leader | Ideology | Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effective Skuteczni | Piotr Liroy-Marzec | Classical liberalism Economic liberalism Direct democracy E-democracy Euroscepticism | Created in 2018 by former rapper and MP Liroy. It cooperated with Confederation in 2019 European Parliament elections, but left the coalition a few weeks later. | |||
| "Piast" Party Stronnictwo Piast | Piast | Zdzisław Podkański | Agrarianism Social conservatism Christian democracy Whole life Economic progressivism | Formed in 2006 as a result of the break-up in PSL and the departure of the right wing of the party. Its name refers both to the Polish medieval Piast dynasty and to the pre-war conservative party PSL Piast. | ||
| Party | Leader | Ideology | Comments | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WolnościowcyWolnościowcy | Artur Dziambor | libertarianism Minarchism Direct democracy E-democracy | The party is classically liberal in the sphere of economy, proposing economic deregulation, privatisation of public services, radical tax cuts and simplification of taxes. Socially the party focuses on direct democracy and personal liberties, proposing drug liberalization, unrestricted freedom of speech, right to keep and bear arms, and electronic voting.[19] | |||
| Social Alternative Alternatywa Społeczna | AS | Krzysztof Przybylak | Right-wing populism Christian right | Founded by Piotr Wroński - Colonel of the Intelligence Agency and a former officer of Polish Special Services. | ||
| Europe of Free Fatherlands - Polish Party Europa Wolnych Ojczyzn – Partia Polska | EWO-PP | Jan Szczepankiewicz | Anti-Lisbon Treaty National liberalism Souverainism | Marginal party was founded in 2008 as an opposition to the Lisbon Treaty. | ||
| Decent Life Godne Życie | GŻ | Grzegorz Masierowski | Direct democracy Right-wing populism Souverainism | Small populist party which never participated in any elections. | ||
| II Republic of Poland II Rzeczpospolita Polska[20] | II RP | Jan Zbigniew Potocki | Sanationism[21] | Founded by Jan Zbigniew Potocki, who claims that he is the legitimate President of Poland and that the Constitution of 1935 is still in force. | ||
| Unity of the Nation Jedność Narodu | JN | Romuald Starosielec | National conservatism National liberalism Ordoliberalism | Registered one list in 2019 European Parliament election. It won 0.02% of the vote. | ||
Kongres Nowej Prawicy | KNP | Stanisław Żółtek | ||||