Poland Comes First
Encyclopedia
Poland Comes First also rendered as Poland is the Most Important, and abbreviated to PJN, is a centre-right
, conservative liberal
, political party in Poland
. It was formed as a breakaway group from Law and Justice
(PiS). By early 2011, the party had eighteen members of the Sejm, one member of the Senate, and three members of the European Parliament
.
Spurred by the expulsion of Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska
from the party, the party was founded as a moderate, "liberal
" splinter from Law and Justice, whom PJN claimed had drifted to the right under party leader Jarosław Kaczyński. More pro-free market
than PiS, Poland Comes First has criticised the slow pace of economic reforms by the Civic Platform
(PO) government, and in 2011, the party received its first defectors from PO, giving it representation in the Senate. However, the party failed to win any Sejm or Senate seats in the October 2011 Parliamentary election
.
In the European Parliament, its members continue to sit, along with Law and Justice, in the European Conservatives and Reformists
group, of which PJN founder Michał Kamiński was the chairman until March 2011. The party also remains affiliated with the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists
, of which Adam Bielan
, who was one of the co-founders of the PJN but then left the party, is a Vice-President.
, Elżbieta Jakubiak
and Paweł Poncyljusz, MEPs
Adam Bielan
and Michał Kamiński, and others formed the new group. Several of them had been expelled from the Law and Justice
(PiS) party shortly before. Kamiński said that the Law and Justice party had been taken over by far-right extremists. The breakaway party formed following dissatisfaction with the direction and leadership of Jarosław Kaczyński.
The party's name comes from the official campaign slogans of Jarosław Kaczyński in the 2010 presidential election. Literally, it means 'Poland is the Most Important', which was the original English version, but the Sejm requested that this be rendered as 'Poland Comes First' in English, after Adam Bielan said that the original 'sounded strange'. The party was considering changing its name, after 'Polska jest Najważniejsza' was registered as the name of an association by a PiS supporter. The inclusion of the word 'Centre' was seen to be likely, referring to the Centre Agreement that the Kaczyńskis led before founding Law and Justice as well as reflecting its more centrist position.
On 18 January 2011, senator Jacek Swakoń, formerly of Civic Platform
, joined PJN as its first senator and its first parliamentary defector other than from PiS. On 27 January 2011, the PJN's Michał Kamiński announced he would be stepping down as chairman of the ECR group
, effective 8 March, citing conflict with the remaining PiS members. On 1 February, Zbigniew Wojciechowski, a recent defector from Civic Platform, replaced Janusz Palikot
in the Sejm, taking the party's numbers to 18.
Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska stated in February 2011 that she was thinking of offering Civic Platform a coalition
deal after the election due in October
. However, before the election, Kluzik-Rostkowska left the party for Civic Platform. Co-founder Adam Bielan
MEP also left the PJN and currently sits as an independent within the ECR Group in the EU Parliament alongside the PiS and PJN MEPs.
At the October 2011 election, the party performed poorly, coming sixth in the Sejm vote with 2.2%. This being below the 5% threshold, the party failed to hold or win any seats in the Sejm. The party also failed to hold or win any seats in the Senate.
faction. Kluzik has said the party is inspired by the centrism
of David Cameron
, leader of the British
Conservatives
. The core of the party is based around the 'Museumite' faction, connected to the Warsaw Uprising Museum, of which the PJN's Jan Ołdakowski is director.
The party has criticised the slow pace of economic liberalisation
by the Civic Platform government, challenging both Donald Tusk
's frequent distractions from economic issues and Law and Justice's dirigisme
. The party aims to reform the labour market, accelerate privatisation
, introduce a 19% flat tax
, and equalise the retirement age between men and women.
, the party had eighteen members of the Sejm. One, Lena Dąbkowska-Cichocka
, was also a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
, where she continues to sit alongside Law and Justice in the European Democrat Group
.
. They continue to sit with Law and Justice in the European Conservatives and Reformists
group, of which Michał Kamiński is the former Chairman.
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
, conservative liberal
Conservative liberalism
Conservative liberalism is a variant of liberalism, combining liberal values and policies with conservative stances, or, more simply, representing the right-wing of the liberal movement....
, political party in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It was formed as a breakaway group from Law and Justice
Law and Justice
Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
(PiS). By early 2011, the party had eighteen members of the Sejm, one member of the Senate, and three members of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
Spurred by the expulsion of Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska
Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska
Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska is a Polish politician and member of the Sejm for Civic Platform. She was elected for Law and Justice in 2007, but led a breakaway group in 2010 to form the more liberal Poland Comes First, of which she was leader. She resigned and joined Civic Platform in June...
from the party, the party was founded as a moderate, "liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
" splinter from Law and Justice, whom PJN claimed had drifted to the right under party leader Jarosław Kaczyński. More pro-free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
than PiS, Poland Comes First has criticised the slow pace of economic reforms by the Civic Platform
Civic Platform
Civic Platform , abbreviated to PO, is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Poland. It has been the major coalition partner in Poland's government since the 2007 general election, with party leader Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland and Bronisław Komorowski as President...
(PO) government, and in 2011, the party received its first defectors from PO, giving it representation in the Senate. However, the party failed to win any Sejm or Senate seats in the October 2011 Parliamentary election
Polish parliamentary election, 2011
A parliamentary election to both the Senate and the Sejm was held in Poland on 9 October 2011. The previous election, in 2007, resulted in a Civic Platform–Polish People's Party government...
.
In the European Parliament, its members continue to sit, along with Law and Justice, in the European Conservatives and Reformists
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament....
group, of which PJN founder Michał Kamiński was the chairman until March 2011. The party also remains affiliated with the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists
Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists
The Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to AECR, is a centre-right anti-federalist European political party defending broader conservative and classical liberal principles. It consists of twelve parties in nine EU member states and Iceland...
, of which Adam Bielan
Adam Bielan
Adam Jerzy Bielan is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament for Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie with Poland Comes First. He is Vice-Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists political grouping....
, who was one of the co-founders of the PJN but then left the party, is a Vice-President.
History
On 16 November 2010, Polish MPs Joanna Kluzik-RostkowskaJoanna Kluzik-Rostkowska
Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska is a Polish politician and member of the Sejm for Civic Platform. She was elected for Law and Justice in 2007, but led a breakaway group in 2010 to form the more liberal Poland Comes First, of which she was leader. She resigned and joined Civic Platform in June...
, Elżbieta Jakubiak
Elżbieta Jakubiak
Elżbieta Renata Jakubiak is a Polish politician , sports and tourism minister in the government of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was head of the Polish President's Cabinet with the rank of secretary of state, and deputy to the Sejm sixth term of office.-Biography:Jakubiak was born in 1966, the daughter of...
and Paweł Poncyljusz, MEPs
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Adam Bielan
Adam Bielan
Adam Jerzy Bielan is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament for Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie with Poland Comes First. He is Vice-Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists political grouping....
and Michał Kamiński, and others formed the new group. Several of them had been expelled from the Law and Justice
Law and Justice
Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
(PiS) party shortly before. Kamiński said that the Law and Justice party had been taken over by far-right extremists. The breakaway party formed following dissatisfaction with the direction and leadership of Jarosław Kaczyński.
The party's name comes from the official campaign slogans of Jarosław Kaczyński in the 2010 presidential election. Literally, it means 'Poland is the Most Important', which was the original English version, but the Sejm requested that this be rendered as 'Poland Comes First' in English, after Adam Bielan said that the original 'sounded strange'. The party was considering changing its name, after 'Polska jest Najważniejsza' was registered as the name of an association by a PiS supporter. The inclusion of the word 'Centre' was seen to be likely, referring to the Centre Agreement that the Kaczyńskis led before founding Law and Justice as well as reflecting its more centrist position.
On 18 January 2011, senator Jacek Swakoń, formerly of Civic Platform
Civic Platform
Civic Platform , abbreviated to PO, is a centre-right, liberal conservative political party in Poland. It has been the major coalition partner in Poland's government since the 2007 general election, with party leader Donald Tusk as Prime Minister of Poland and Bronisław Komorowski as President...
, joined PJN as its first senator and its first parliamentary defector other than from PiS. On 27 January 2011, the PJN's Michał Kamiński announced he would be stepping down as chairman of the ECR group
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament....
, effective 8 March, citing conflict with the remaining PiS members. On 1 February, Zbigniew Wojciechowski, a recent defector from Civic Platform, replaced Janusz Palikot
Janusz Palikot
Janusz Marian Palikot is a Polish politician, activist and businessman best known for waving around a pistol and a dildo at a press conference. Palikot studied philosophy and became wealthy as a businessman who dealt with crates and distilled beverages...
in the Sejm, taking the party's numbers to 18.
Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska stated in February 2011 that she was thinking of offering Civic Platform a coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
deal after the election due in October
Polish parliamentary election, 2011
A parliamentary election to both the Senate and the Sejm was held in Poland on 9 October 2011. The previous election, in 2007, resulted in a Civic Platform–Polish People's Party government...
. However, before the election, Kluzik-Rostkowska left the party for Civic Platform. Co-founder Adam Bielan
Adam Bielan
Adam Jerzy Bielan is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament for Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie with Poland Comes First. He is Vice-Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists political grouping....
MEP also left the PJN and currently sits as an independent within the ECR Group in the EU Parliament alongside the PiS and PJN MEPs.
At the October 2011 election, the party performed poorly, coming sixth in the Sejm vote with 2.2%. This being below the 5% threshold, the party failed to hold or win any seats in the Sejm. The party also failed to hold or win any seats in the Senate.
Ideology
The party was formed from PiS's liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
faction. Kluzik has said the party is inspired by the centrism
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
of David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, leader of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. The core of the party is based around the 'Museumite' faction, connected to the Warsaw Uprising Museum, of which the PJN's Jan Ołdakowski is director.
The party has criticised the slow pace of economic liberalisation
Economic liberalization
Economic liberalization is a very broad term that usually refers to fewer government regulations and restrictions in the economy in exchange for greater participation of private entities; the doctrine is associated with classical liberalism...
by the Civic Platform government, challenging both Donald Tusk
Donald Tusk
Donald Franciszek Tusk is a Polish politician who has been Prime Minister of Poland since 2007. He was a co-founder and is chairman of the Civic Platform party....
's frequent distractions from economic issues and Law and Justice's dirigisme
Dirigisme
Dirigisme is an economy in which the government exerts strong directive influence. While the term has occasionally been applied to centrally planned economies, where the state effectively controls both production and allocation of resources , it originally had neither of these meanings when...
. The party aims to reform the labour market, accelerate privatisation
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
, introduce a 19% flat tax
Flat tax
A flat tax is a tax system with a constant marginal tax rate. Typically the term flat tax is applied in the context of an individual or corporate income that will be taxed at one marginal rate...
, and equalise the retirement age between men and women.
Members of the Sejm
Before the October 2011 electionsPolish parliamentary election, 2011
A parliamentary election to both the Senate and the Sejm was held in Poland on 9 October 2011. The previous election, in 2007, resulted in a Civic Platform–Polish People's Party government...
, the party had eighteen members of the Sejm. One, Lena Dąbkowska-Cichocka
Lena Dąbkowska-Cichocka
Lena Dąbkowska-Cichocka is a Polish politician. She is a member of the Sejm and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe .-Biography:...
, was also a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...
, where she continues to sit alongside Law and Justice in the European Democrat Group
European Democrat Group
The European Democrat Group is a conservative group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. It was originally founded as the Group of Independent Representatives in 1970 by British and Scandinavian members of PACE, having about 35-40 members from the UK, Ireland, Norway, Denmark,...
.
- Lena Dąbkowska-CichockaLena Dąbkowska-CichockaLena Dąbkowska-Cichocka is a Polish politician. She is a member of the Sejm and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe .-Biography:...
(21 – OpoleOpole (parliamentary constituency)Opole is a Polish parliamentary constituency that is coterminous with the Opole Voivodeship. It elects thirteen members of the Sejm and three members of the Senate....
) - Tomasz Dudziński (7 – ChełmChełm (parliamentary constituency)Chełm is a Polish parliamentary constituency in the Lublin Voivodeship. It elects twelve members of the Sejm and three members of the Senate.The district has the number '7' and is named after the city of Chełm...
) - Adam Gawęda (30 – Rybnik)
- Kazimierz HajdaKazimierz HajdaKazimierz Hajda is a Polish politician. A member of Poland Comes First , Hadja sits in the Sejm for Chrzanów, having replaced Paweł Kowal in 2009. He was mayor of Jordanów from 2006 to 2009....
(12 – ChrzanówChrzanów (parliamentary constituency)Chrzanów is an electoral district in Poland for elections to the Sejm, to which it elects eight members to the Sejm. In the 2007 election, it elected four members from Law and Justice, three from Civic Platform, and 1 from Left and Democrats....
) - Elżbieta JakubiakElżbieta JakubiakElżbieta Renata Jakubiak is a Polish politician , sports and tourism minister in the government of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, was head of the Polish President's Cabinet with the rank of secretary of state, and deputy to the Sejm sixth term of office.-Biography:Jakubiak was born in 1966, the daughter of...
(18 – SiedlceSiedlce (parliamentary constituency)Siedlce is a Polish parliamentary constituency in the Masovian Voivodeship. It elects twelve members of the Sejm and three members of the Senate....
) - Lucjan KarasiewiczLucjan KarasiewiczLucjan Karasiewicz is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 6844 votes in 28 Częstochowa, standing for Law and Justice. He joined Poland Comes First when that party split from Law and Justice in 2010.-External links:* - includes declarations of interest, voting...
(28 – Częstochowa) - Wiesław Kilian (3 – WrocławWrocław (parliamentary constituency)Wrocław is a Polish parliamentary constituency in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It elects fourteen members of the Sejm and three members of the Senate.The district has the number '3' and is named after the city of Wrocław...
)
- Wojciech MojzesowiczWojciech MojzesowiczWojciech Mojzesowicz is a Polish politician. He joined Poland Comes First when that party split from Law and Justice in 2010.He was also a Member of Sejm 1989-1991, 1991-1993, and 2001-2005...
(4 – Bydgoszcz) - Jan Ołdakowski (19 – Warsaw IWarsaw I (parliamentary constituency)Warsaw I is a Polish parliamentary constituency in the Masovian Voivodeship. It elects nineteen members of the Sejm and four members of the Senate....
) - Zbysław Owczarski (13 – KrakówKraków (parliamentary constituency)Kraków is a Polish parliamentary constituency that is coterminous with the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It elects thirteen members of the Sejm and four members of the Senate...
) - Jacek Pilch (15 – Tarnów)
- Paweł Poncyljusz (19 – Warsaw IWarsaw I (parliamentary constituency)Warsaw I is a Polish parliamentary constituency in the Masovian Voivodeship. It elects nineteen members of the Sejm and four members of the Senate....
) - Andrzej SośnierzAndrzej SosnierzAndrzej Sośnierz is a Polish politician and physician. He is a member of the Sejm for Poland Comes First.He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 54876 votes in Katowice, standing for Civic Platform. He left the party after criticising the leadership's negative attitude towards a...
(31 – KatowiceKatowice (parliamentary constituency)Katowice is a Polish parliamentary constituency in the Masovian Voivodeship. It elects twelve members of the Sejm and three members of the Senate....
) - Andrzej WalkowiakAndrzej WalkowiakAndrzej Walkowiak is a Polish politician and journalist. He is a member of the Sejm for Poland Comes First, having been a member for Law and Justice from 2005 to 2010....
(4 – Bydgoszcz) - Zbigniew Wojciechowski (6 – LublinLublin (parliamentary constituency)Lublin is a Polish parliamentary constituency in the Lublin Voivodeship. It elects fifteen members of the Sejm and three members of the Senate.The district has the number '6' and is named after the city of Lublin...
)
Members of the Senate
Before the October 2011 elections, the party had one member of the Senate.- Jacek Swakoń (1 – LegnicaLegnica (parliamentary constituency)Legnica is a Polish parliamentary constituency in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It elects twelve members of the Sejm and three members of the Senate.The district has the number '1' and is named after the city of Legnica...
)
Members of the European Parliament
As of October 2011, the party has three members of the European ParliamentEuropean Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
. They continue to sit with Law and Justice in the European Conservatives and Reformists
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament....
group, of which Michał Kamiński is the former Chairman.
- Michał Kamiński (4 – WarsawWarsaw (European Parliament constituency)In European elections, Warsaw is a constituency of the European Parliament. It consists of the counties of Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Legionowo, Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki, Otwock, Piaseczno, Pruszków, Warsaw West, Wołomin and city of Warsaw.- Nomenclature :...
) - Paweł Kowal (10 – Lesser Poland and ŚwiętokrzyskieLesser Poland and Swietokrzyskie (European Parliament constituency)In European elections, Lesser Poland and Świętokrzyskie is a constituency of the European Parliament. It consists of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship and Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship.- Nomenclature :...
) - Marek MigalskiMarek MigalskiDr Marek Henryk Migalski is a Polish politician, Member of the European Parliament, political scientist, and columnist. A member of Poland Comes First , Migalski was elected to the European Parliament at the 2009 election for Law and Justice...
(11 – SilesianSilesian (European Parliament constituency)In European elections, Silesian is a constituency of the European Parliament. It consists of the Silesian Voivodeship.- Nomenclature :The relevant Polish legislation establishing the constituencies does not give the constituencies formal names...
)