Polish local elections, 2010
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Polish local elections were held in two parts, with its first round on November 21 and second on December 5. The first round included elections of deputies to provincial voivodeship sejmiks
, as well for gmina
and powiat
councilors. The second round of elections were marked for mayors
, borough leaders
, and other positions decided by runoff elections. The local elections were seen as a test to the ruling Civic Platform
and Polish People's Party coalition government
under Prime Minister Donald Tusk
.
candidate Bronisław Komorowski defeat Law and Justice
MP and former Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, the 2010 local elections were characterized as a test to the administration of Donald Tusk
. In the weeks prior to the elections, polls conducted by the CBOS Institute showed the ruling Civic Platform party with a comfortable lead over its rivals.. The opposition Law and Justice
electoral campaign faced multiple challenges prior to the elections. Polls published in the days leading up to the first round indicated low support for the party. In a related addition, a severe internal party crisis regarding Kaczyński's leadership and the party's ideological direction, simmering among several of the party's more moderate MPs in the Sejm
for several months prior, exploded into the open days before the election. The rebel MPs, led by expelled party member Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska
, formed the Poland is the Most Important parliamentary group on November 16. The party split further undermined confidence to the government's opposition.
Due to mandates in Polish law, all electioneering, poll surveys, and campaigning ceased on November 20, in the period known as the "election silence."
, Civic Platform won control of 12 voivodeships
, and tied for first place in another. The party's national junior coalition partner, the Polish People's Party, won outright in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
. Law and Justice received a majority in two voivodeships. Following the results, Prime Minister Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak
agreed to extend their coalition into local administrations. Civic Platform performed well in county powiat
councils, and also significantly raised its electoral profile in municipal gmina
councils.
The Polish People's Party also emerged as a winner following the elections, capturing a strong 16 percent of the vote, exceeding previous expectations from pre-election polling. In powiat councils, the party particularly increased its share thanks to its strong connections to local politics.. In gmina elections, the party expanded gains from the previous 2006 local elections
.
Law and Justice suffered defeats in all vovoideship, powiat and gmina council tiers of government. While the defeat did not signify a total collapse as survey polls previously suggested, the results pointed towards a general trend of decline for the rightist party, with critics pointing to the perceived aloofness of its party leader, Jarosław Kaczyński..
The center-left Democratic Left Alliance
also benefited during the elections. Although pushed to fourth place by the surprising gains of the Polish People's Party, the Democratic Left Alliance increased their numbers in provincial voivodeship sejmiks and powiat councils, though the party suffered losses in gmina council elections.
While Civic Platform achieved considerable success in the outright reelection of Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz
as Mayor of Warsaw without a second round, the electorate continued to lean for nonpartisan independent
mayors. Independent candidates led in over half of the country's 18 largest cities against mainstream party candidates. Civic Platform's attempts to unseat independent mayors in Kraków
, Katowice
, Poznań
, Toruń
and Wrocław all ended in defeat.
In the county and municipal levels, independent
candidates and local political committees captured the most votes, retaining 38 percent of all county councilor seats and over 71 percent of all municipal councilor seats.
Voivodeship sejmik
A voivodeship sejmik is a provincial-level elected assembly for each of the 16 voivodeships of Poland. Sejmiks are elected to four-year terms, decided during nationwide local elections...
, as well for gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
and powiat
Powiat
A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used...
councilors. The second round of elections were marked for mayors
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, borough leaders
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
, and other positions decided by runoff elections. The local elections were seen as a test to the ruling 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...
and Polish People's Party coalition government
Cabinet of Donald Tusk
The First Cabinet of Donald Tusk was the government of Poland from November 16, 2007 to November 18, 2011, during the 6th legislature of the Sejm and the 7th legislature of the Senate. It was appointed by President Lech Kaczyński on November 16, 2007, and passed the vote of confidence in Sejm on...
under Prime Minister 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....
.
Background
As the first polls since the July presidential elections, which saw Civic PlatformCivic 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...
candidate Bronisław Komorowski defeat 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....
MP and former Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, the 2010 local elections were characterized as a test to the administration of 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....
. In the weeks prior to the elections, polls conducted by the CBOS Institute showed the ruling Civic Platform party with a comfortable lead over its rivals.. The opposition 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....
electoral campaign faced multiple challenges prior to the elections. Polls published in the days leading up to the first round indicated low support for the party. In a related addition, a severe internal party crisis regarding Kaczyński's leadership and the party's ideological direction, simmering among several of the party's more moderate MPs in the Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
for several months prior, exploded into the open days before the election. The rebel MPs, led by expelled party member 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...
, formed the Poland is the Most Important parliamentary group on November 16. The party split further undermined confidence to the government's opposition.
Due to mandates in Polish law, all electioneering, poll surveys, and campaigning ceased on November 20, in the period known as the "election silence."
Analysis
Following the tabulated results of the election's first round, Civic Platform emerged with a victory, increasing its profile across provincial, county, and municipal councils. In voivodeship sejmiksVoivodeship sejmik
A voivodeship sejmik is a provincial-level elected assembly for each of the 16 voivodeships of Poland. Sejmiks are elected to four-year terms, decided during nationwide local elections...
, Civic Platform won control of 12 voivodeships
Voivodeships of Poland
The voivodeship, or province, called in Polish województwo , has been a high-level administrative subdivision of Poland since the 14th century....
, and tied for first place in another. The party's national junior coalition partner, the Polish People's Party, won outright in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship
Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, or Świętokrzyskie Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is presently divided. It is situated in central Poland, in the historical province of Lesser Poland, and takes its name from the Świętokrzyskie mountain range...
. Law and Justice received a majority in two voivodeships. Following the results, Prime Minister Tusk and Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak
Waldemar Pawlak
Waldemar Pawlak is a Polish politician. He twice served as Prime Minister of Poland, briefly in 1992 and again from 1993 to 1995. Since November 2007, he has been Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy. Pawlak is the only person who held the office of Prime Minister twice during the...
agreed to extend their coalition into local administrations. Civic Platform performed well in county powiat
Powiat
A powiat is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture in other countries. The term powiat is most often translated into English as "county", although other terms are also sometimes used...
councils, and also significantly raised its electoral profile in municipal gmina
Gmina
The gmina is the principal unit of administrative division of Poland at its lowest uniform level. It is often translated as "commune" or "municipality." As of 2010 there were 2,479 gminas throughout the country...
councils.
The Polish People's Party also emerged as a winner following the elections, capturing a strong 16 percent of the vote, exceeding previous expectations from pre-election polling. In powiat councils, the party particularly increased its share thanks to its strong connections to local politics.. In gmina elections, the party expanded gains from the previous 2006 local elections
Polish local elections, 2006
The 2006 Polish local elections were held in two parts. with its first round on November 12 and the second on November 26, 2006. In the election's first round, voters chose 39,944 gmina councillors, 6,284 powiat councillors and 561 deputies to provincial voivodeship sejmiks...
.
Law and Justice suffered defeats in all vovoideship, powiat and gmina council tiers of government. While the defeat did not signify a total collapse as survey polls previously suggested, the results pointed towards a general trend of decline for the rightist party, with critics pointing to the perceived aloofness of its party leader, Jarosław Kaczyński..
The center-left Democratic Left Alliance
Democratic Left Alliance
Democratic Left Alliance is a social-democratic political party in Poland. Formed in 1991 as a coalition of centre-left parties, it was formally established as a single party on 15 April 1999. It is currently the third largest opposition party in Poland....
also benefited during the elections. Although pushed to fourth place by the surprising gains of the Polish People's Party, the Democratic Left Alliance increased their numbers in provincial voivodeship sejmiks and powiat councils, though the party suffered losses in gmina council elections.
While Civic Platform achieved considerable success in the outright reelection of Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz
Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz
Hanna Beata Gronkiewicz-Waltz is a Polish liberal-conservative politician who has been the Mayor of Warsaw since 2 December 2006. She is the first woman to ever hold this position....
as Mayor of Warsaw without a second round, the electorate continued to lean for nonpartisan independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
mayors. Independent candidates led in over half of the country's 18 largest cities against mainstream party candidates. Civic Platform's attempts to unseat independent mayors in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
and Wrocław all ended in defeat.
In the county and municipal levels, independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
candidates and local political committees captured the most votes, retaining 38 percent of all county councilor seats and over 71 percent of all municipal councilor seats.
Turnout
The turnout in the first round was 47.32%, and in the second round - 35.31%.Voivodeship councils
| Electoral committee | % of seats | Seats | - / + | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
39.57% | 222 | +36 | |
| 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) |
25.13% | 141 | -29 | |
| Polish People's Party (PSL) | 16.68% | 93 | +10 | |
| Democratic Left Alliance Democratic Left Alliance Democratic Left Alliance is a social-democratic political party in Poland. Formed in 1991 as a coalition of centre-left parties, it was formally established as a single party on 15 April 1999. It is currently the third largest opposition party in Poland.... (SLD) |
15.15% | 85 | +19 | |
| Electoral Committee of Rafał Dutkiewicz | 1.60% | 9 | +3 | |
| German Minority German Minority (political party) German Minority is a political party of the German minority in Poland, in the mainly Polish part of Silesia. It is the political arm of the Social-Cultural Association of Germans in Silesian Opole and Social-Cultural Association of Germans in Silesian Voivodeship German Minority is a political... (MN) |
0.89% | 6 | -1 | |
| Silesian Autonomy Movement Silesian Autonomy Movement The Silesian Autonomy Movement is a movement officially declaring its support for the autonomy of Silesia as part of a unified Europe. The association was founded in January 1990 by Rudolf Kołodziejczyk and is based in the Polish part of Upper Silesia... (RAŚ) |
0.53% | 3 | +3 | |
| Regional committees | 0.36% | 2 | +1 | |
| Total | 100.00% | 561 |
County councils
| Electoral committee | % of seats | Seats | - / + | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local committees | 38.12% | 2,398 | -249 | |
| 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) |
20.91% | 1,315 | +536 | |
| 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) |
17,25% | 1,085 | -146 | |
| Polish People's Party (PSL) | 15,88% | 999 | +132 | |
| Democratic Left Alliance Democratic Left Alliance Democratic Left Alliance is a social-democratic political party in Poland. Formed in 1991 as a coalition of centre-left parties, it was formally established as a single party on 15 April 1999. It is currently the third largest opposition party in Poland.... (SLD) |
7.84% | 493 | +25 | |
| Total | 100.00% | 6,290 |
Municipal councils
| Electoral committee | % of seats | Seats | - / + | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local committees | 71.5% | 28,480 | -246 | |
| Polish People's Party (PSL) | 11% | 4,381 | +483 | |
| 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) |
7% | 2,782 | -194 | |
| 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) |
6.82% | 2,719 | +1,122 | |
| Democratic Left Alliance Democratic Left Alliance Democratic Left Alliance is a social-democratic political party in Poland. Formed in 1991 as a coalition of centre-left parties, it was formally established as a single party on 15 April 1999. It is currently the third largest opposition party in Poland.... (SLD) |
3.68% | 1,466 | -130 | |
| Total | 100.00% | 39,828 |