The Civic Coalition (Polish: Koalicja Obywatelska, KO)[a] is a catch-all political alliance currently ruling in Poland. The alliance was formed around Civic Platform in opposition to the then-ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party.
Civic Coalition Koalicja Obywatelska | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | KO |
| Leaders | |
| Founded | 7 March 2018 |
| Headquarters | ul. Wiejska 12a, 00-490 Warsaw |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Big tent[A] |
| Members |
|
| Colors |
|
| Sejm | 157 / 460 |
| Senate | 42 / 100 |
| European Parliament | 21 / 52 |
| Regional assemblies | 210 / 552 |
| Voivodes | 11 / 16 |
| Voivodeship Marshals | 10 / 16 |
| City Presidents | 40 / 107 |
| Mayors | 63 / 906 |
| Wójts | 27 / 1,463 |
| Powiat Councils | 1,056 / 6,170 |
| Gmina Councils | 1,649 / 39,416 |
| Website | |
| koalicjaobywatelska | |
History
editThe Civic Coalition was originally created by the Civic Platform and Modern parties for 2018 local elections.[8] In June 2019, it was announced that the Civic Coalition would be slated to participate in the 2019 Polish parliamentary election and Civic Platform and Modern will form a joint parliamentary club.[9] The Greens announced at the end of July 2019 that they will participate in the elections as part of the Coalition.[10] In August 2019, the Silesian Autonomy Movement and other member organisations of the Silesian Electoral Agreement joined the Coalition.[11]
2018 local elections and present
editIn the 2018 local elections, the Civic Coalition received 26.97% of votes (second place after Law and Justice), winning 194 seats. In 8 voivodeships, it obtained the best result, and in the Pomerania the majority of seats. The coalition fared worse in the powiat and mayoral election. In the first round of 11 candidates of the Civic Coalition won elections for mayors of cities (including Rafał Trzaskowski in Warsaw). In addition, 15 candidates of the Civic Coalition went through to the second round, of which 8 were elected. Candidates of Civic Coalition were elected presidents of 19 cities, while it was placed second to the national-conservative Law and Justice in four.[12]
The committee has shown stronger electoral performances in large cities, such as, Warsaw, Poznań, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Łódź, and Kraków. Better than average results were achieved in West and North Poland (Recovered Territories). In the Opole Voivodeship, Civic Coalition received high support among the German minority. However, it has weaker support in the villages and in the conservative eastern Poland.[13]
In the 2019 parliamentary elections, the Coalition received most of its votes in major cities (as in 2018 local elections) and areas surrounding them. For the 2019 election, the coalition entered an agreement with Silesian Regional Party and Silesian Autonomy Movement, and activists and politicians associated with these Silesian parties were included on the Civic Coalition's electoral lists.[14] The electoral pact between the Civic Coalition and Silesian regionalists declared three demands – the strengthening of regional government, an increase in the share of tax revenues allocated to local governments, and the recognition of Silesian language as a regional language.[15]
Civic Platform already cooperated with Silesian Autonomy Movement on local level – in 2015, both parties entered a local coalition in the Silesian Voivodeship Sejmik.[16] In March 2023, Civic Coalition again pledged to recognize Silesian as a regional language.[17]
After exit polls for the 2023 parliamentary elections showed KO having taken a strong enough second place finish to oust the ruling Law and Justice party, KO leader Donald Tusk said, "I have been a politician for many years. I'm an athlete. Never in my life have I been so happy about taking seemingly second place. Poland won. Democracy has won."[18]
Ideology
editThe Civic Coalition is a catch-all coalition, that is made up of political parties that occupy political positions from the centre-left to the centre-right.[19][20] Media and academics have also described the coalition as centre-left,[21] centrist,[22] and centre-right.[23] It was described as centre-right by The Guardian,[24] Euractiv,[25] EUobserver,[26] The Telegraph,[27] Heinrich Böll Foundation,[28] and the Financial Times[29] during the 2023 Polish parliamentary election. The coalition's positions on social issues range from progressivism to Christian democracy. It is mainly oriented towards the principles of liberal conservatism[1] and liberalism,[30] and it aims to protect liberal democracy in Poland.[19] The coalition was also described as anti-immigration, mostly because of the rhetoric of its dominating party, centre-right Civic Platform. The coalition also supports Poland's membership in the European Union and NATO.[20]
Composition
edit| Name | Ideology | Position | European affiliation | Leader(s) | MPs | Senators | MEPs | Sejmiks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civic Platform | Liberal conservatism Pro-Europeanism Anti-Migration[3] |
Centre-right | EPP | Donald Tusk | 122 / 460
|
36 / 100
|
18 / 52
|
152 / 552
| |
| Modern | Centre to centre-right | ALDE | Adam Szłapka | 10 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
0 / 52
|
21 / 552
| ||
| Polish Initiative | Centre-left to left-wing | — | Barbara Nowacka | 2 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
1 / 52
|
0 / 552
| ||
| The Greens | Green politics | Centre-left to left-wing | EGP | Przemysław Słowik Urszula Zielińska |
3 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
0 / 52
|
0 / 552
| |
| AGROunia | Agrarian socialism | Left-wing | — | Michał Kołodziejczak | 1 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
0 / 52
|
0 / 552
| |
| Yes! For Poland | Regionalism | Centre-left | — | Jacek Karnowski | 2 / 460
|
1 / 100
|
0 / 52
|
4 / 552
| |
| Independents[note 1] | — | Left-wing to centre-right | — | — | 20 / 460
|
4 / 100 [b]
|
2 / 52
|
8 / 552 [c]
| |
Supported by
edit| Name | Ideology | Position | European affiliation | Leader(s) | MPs | Senators | MEPs | Sejmiks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League of Polish Families | Social conservatism | Right-wing | European Christian Political Movement | Witold Bałażak | 0 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
0 / 52
|
0 / 552
| |
| Good Movement | Classical liberalism | Centre-right | — | Paweł Szramka | 0 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
0 / 52
|
0 / 552
| |
| Democratic Left Association | Social democracy Pro-Europeanism |
Centre-left | — | Jerzy Teichert | 0 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
0 / 52
|
0 / 552
| |
| Silesian Regional Party | Silesian regionalism Pro-Europeanism |
Centre-left | — | Ilona Kanclerz | 0 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
0 / 52
|
0 / 552
| |
| Silesian Autonomy Movement | Silesian regionalism Fiscal federalism |
Left-wing | European Free Alliance | Jerzy Gorzelik | 0 / 460
|
0 / 100
|
0 / 52
|
0 / 552
| |
Electoral performance
editSejm
edit
| Year | Leader | Popular vote | % of vote | Seats | Seat change | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Grzegorz Schetyna | 5,060,355 | 27.4 (#2) | 134 / 460
|
New | PiS |
| 2023 | Donald Tusk | 6,629,402 | 30.7 (#2) | 157 / 460
|
 23
| |
| PiS Minority (2023) | ||||||
| KO–PL2050–KP–NL (2023-present) |
Senate
edit| Year | Popular vote | % of vote | Seats | Seat change | Majority | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 6,490,306 | 35.66 (#2) | 43 / 100
|
17
|
KO–KP–SLD | Grzegorz Schetyna |
| 2023 | 6,187,295 | 28.91 (#2) | 41 / 100
|
 2
|
KO–PL2050–KP–NL–LR | Donald Tusk |
Presidential
edit| Election year | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | ||
| 2020 | Rafał Trzaskowski | 5,917,340 | 30.5 (#2) | 10,018,263 | 49.0 (#2) |
European Parliament
edit
| Year | Popular vote | Leader | % of vote | Seats | Seat change | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Grzegorz Schetyna | 5,249,935 | 38.47 (#2) | 14 / 52
|
New | EPP |
| As part of the European Coalition coalition, which won 22 seats in total. | ||||||
| 2024 | Donald Tusk | 4,359,443 | 37.06 (#1) | 21 / 53
|
7
|
EPP |
2024 local
edit
| Voivodeship | Seats | Governance |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Silesian | 15 / 36
|
Coalition |
| Kuyavian-Pomeranian | 14 / 30
|
Coalition |
| Lublin | 6 / 33
|
Opposition |
| Lubusz | 14 / 30
|
Coalition |
| Łódź | 12 / 33
|
Coalition |
| Lesser Poland | 12 / 39
|
Opposition |
| Masovian | 20 / 51
|
Coalition |
| Opole | 14 / 30
|
Coalition |
| Subcarpathian | 6 / 33
|
Opposition |
| Podlaskie | 8 / 30
|
Coalition |
| Pomeranian | 20 / 33
|
Majority |
| Silesian | 20 / 45
|
Coalition |
| Świętokrzyskie | 6 / 30
|
Opposition |
| Warmian-Masurian | 13 / 30
|
Coalition |
| Greater Poland | 15 / 39
|
Coalition |
| West Pomeranian | 15 / 30
|
Coalition |
| All seats | 210 / 552
| |
2018 local
edit
| Voivodeship | Seats | Governance |
|---|---|---|
| Lower Silesian | 13 / 36
|
Opposition (2018-2024) |
| Coalition (2024-) | ||
| Kuyavian-Pomeranian | 14 / 30
|
Coalition |
| Lublin | 7 / 33
|
Opposition |
| Lubusz | 11 / 30
|
Coalition |
| Łódź | 12 / 33
|
Opposition |
| Lesser Poland | 11 / 39
|
Opposition |
| Masovian | 18 / 51
|
Coalition |
| Opole | 13 / 30
|
Coalition |
| Subcarpathian | 5 / 33
|
Opposition |
| Podlaskie | 9 / 30
|
Opposition |
| Pomeranian | 18 / 33
|
Coalition |
| Silesian | 20 / 45
|
Opposition (2018-2022) |
| Coalition (2022-) | ||
| Świętokrzyskie | 3 / 30
|
Opposition (2018-2023) |
| Coalition (2023-) | ||
| Warmian-Masurian | 12 / 30
|
Coalition |
| Greater Poland | 15 / 39
|
Coalition |
| West Pomeranian | 13 / 30
|
Coalition |
| All seats | 194 / 552
| |
See also
editNotes and references
editNotes
edit- ^ The Civic Coalition's name that was used in the 2019 parliamentary election was the "Coalition Electoral Committee Civic Coalition PO .N iPL Greens" (Polish: Koalicyjny Komitet Wyborczy Koalicja Obywatelska PO .N iPL Zieloni).
- ^ Andrzej Dziuba, Zygmunt Frankiewicz, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, Wadim Tyszkiewicz
- ^ Roman Jasiakiewicz (Kuyavia-Pomerania), Iwona Jelonek (Silesia), Marek Kopel (Silesia), Igor Łukaszuk (Podlaskie), Antoni Pikul (Podlaskie), Tadeusz Sławek (Silesia), Anna Synowiec (Lubusz), Henryk Szymański (Greater Poland)
- ^ The Civic Coalition electoral committee lists also include a handful of candidates who are members of the Silesian Autonomy Movement, Social Democracy of Poland, the Polish People's Party, Your Movement, Freedom and Equality, Democratic Left Alliance, and Labour Union, as well as independents.
References
edit- ^ a b
- Barbora Krempaská; Lars-Andre Richter; Florentyna Martyńska (18 October 2023). "Victory for Democracy in Poland". Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
Moreover, it is likely to hand over power to Donald Tusk, the leading candidate of the liberal-conservative Civic Coalition (Koalicja Obywatelska - KO).
- Anna Noryskiewicz (16 October 2023). "Poland election could oust conservative party that has led country for 8 years". CBS News.
The opposition liberal-conservative Civic Coalition of former Prime Minister Donald Tusk was the second-strongest force with 31.6% of the vote and 163 seats.
- Piotr Zagórski (31 October 2023). "Poland Has Woken Up". El Pais.
Donald Tusk's liberal-conservative Civic Coalition with 30.7% of the vote and 157 seats, the Third Way coalition (which unites the peasant party with another conservative party) with 14.4% and 65 seats, and the New Left with 8.6% and 26 seats will try to form a government backed by 248 MPs, 17 above the majority.
- "Poland: PiS government steps down as parliament meets". Deutsche Welle. 13 November 2023.
The alliance will put forth Tusk, the head of the liberal-conservative Civic Coalition (KO), as its candidate for prime minister; and Szymon Holowina of the centrist 2050 party, as candidate for speaker.
- Wallace Jones (13 December 2023). "The government is installed and Tusk is sworn in as the new Polish Prime Minister". todaytimeslive.com.
The three-way alliance consisting of Tusk's liberal-conservative Civic Coalition, the Christian-conservative Third Way and the left-wing Lewica alliance won a government majority in the October 15 parliamentary elections.
- Barbora Krempaská; Lars-Andre Richter; Florentyna Martyńska (18 October 2023). "Victory for Democracy in Poland". Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
- ^ "2019 Election For Poland's Parliament: What You Need To Know". Retrieved 26 July 2023.
- ^ a b |""A powerful shot from a cannon." Tusk announces suspension of right to asylum". oko.press. 12 October 2024.
- "Uncontrolled immigration will lead to 'world collapse' warns Poland's new PM Donald Tusk". talk.tv. 14 February 2024.
During his election campaign, Mr Tusk drew on anti-immigration themes that drew criticism from the country's left wing for "competing with the far right".
- Davison, Dan; Pospieszyńska, Ewa (2 October 2023). "On Migration, the Polish Left Has All But Given Up". Novara Media.
With the Civic Coalition trying to woo Law and Justice voters by repackaging its xenophobia, it falls to the Polish left to change the narrative on immigration.
- Kość, Dawid (11 September 2023). "New poll indicates Polish opposition could edge out PiS in new parliament". IntelliNews.
In a recent video, KO employed similar images of migration that PiS also used in their overtly anti-immigration materials, both in the current and the previous campaigns.
- "Poland: Opposition Takes Majority in Elections, People on the Move are Victims of "Political Game" At Belarus Border". ecre.org. 20 October 2023.
Migration was one of the most heated topics in the election campaign and even the opposition adopted anti-migration rhetoric.
"There is no surprise, but Prime Minister Tusk went further than expected: he announced the suspension of the right to asylum. He said: "One of the elements of the migration strategy will be a temporary, territorial suspension of the right to asylum, and I will demand recognition in Europe for this decision.
- "Uncontrolled immigration will lead to 'world collapse' warns Poland's new PM Donald Tusk". talk.tv. 14 February 2024.
- ^ "Michał Kołodziejczak wystartuje z listy Koalicji Obywatelskiej. "Stan wyższej konieczności"". Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ Nicole Makarewicz (26 January 2023). ""GW": W koalicji z PO będzie Ruch Tak! Dla Polski". rmf24.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Jeśli chcecie pomóc #KO w kampanii wyborczej, zadzwońcie pod ten numer. Możecie zgłosić, że chcecie powiesić baner, rozdawać ulotki, wieszać plakaty lub wesprzeć konkretnego kandydata w regionie (zostaniecie wtedy włączeni do drużyny tego kandydata). #POzwycięstwo #DrużynaTuska #PolskaWNaszychSercach". Retrieved 1 September 2023 – via Facebook.
- ^ "Tusk postawił Giertychowi ultimatum: musi wrócić do Polski". Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "PO i Nowoczesna razem do wyborów. Schetyna i Lubnauer podpisali porozumienie". WPROST.pl (in Polish). 7 March 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ "PO i Nowoczesna połączą siły na wybory parlamentarne". Forsal.pl (in Polish). 8 June 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ "Zieloni oficjalnie potwierdzili start w wyborach w ramach Koalicji Obywatelskiej". Polska Agencja Prasowa (in Polish). 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
- ^ "Śląscy autonomiści dołączają do Koalicji Obywatelskiej". Wyborcza.pl (in Polish). 8 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Wybory samorządowe 2018". wybory2018.pkw.gov.pl. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ "Imperial borders still shape politics in Poland and Romania". The Economist. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
- ^ Paweł Pawlik (9 August 2019). "Ruch Autonomii Śląska na listach Koalicji Obywatelskiej". onet.pl (in Polish).
- ^ Przemysław Jedlecki (25 August 2019). "Koalicja Obywatelska podpisała Pakt dla Śląska. Większe kompetencje i więcej pieniędzy dla regionu". wyborcza.pl (in Polish).
- ^ Mateusz Marmola (21 June 2023). "Koalicja Obywatelska wpadła w Kałużę: wybory do sejmiku województwa śląskiego" (in Polish). University of Silesia. p. 198. doi:10.34616/129950.
- ^ Krzysztof Konopka; Mateusz Mikowski (19 March 2023). "Tusk: język śląski będzie uznany za język regionalny". pap.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Polish opposition leader Tusk declares win after exit poll shows ruling conservatives lose majority". ABC News. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Poland". Center for Strategic & International Studies. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ a b "2019 election for Poland's parliament: What you need to know". The Krakow Post. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^
- Chechliński, Zbigniew (2019). "The effects of the hypothetical implementation of preferential voting methods in Poland on the Polish political stage and national integrity" (PDF). European Journal of Geopolitics.
- "THB Nothing Should Impede a Woman's Right to Choose". The Cambridge Union. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- "Interview: Ann Widdecombe takes part in Cambridge Union abortion debate". Cambridge Independent. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^
- "Poland's top opposition party goes into a tailspin". Politico. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- "Poland 2020: A Crunch Year for Populists' Grip on Power". Balkan Insight. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- "Poland's ruling party has 41% support before October vote: Indicator". Reuters. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- "Poland's populist Law and Justice party win second term in power". The Guardian. 14 October 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- "Poland's parliament on knife-edge as opposition takes upper house". euractiv.com. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^
- "Polish elections: Duda Faces Runoff After Rival Polls Strongly". Balkan Insight. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- "Polish Local Elections: Time for Realignment". Green European Journal. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- Shotter, James; Majos, Agata (5 July 2020). "Warsaw mayor focuses on Poland's provinces in bid to unseat Duda". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
- ^ Tisdall, Simon (30 September 2023). "All eyes in Europe are focused on Poland's divisive election fight. But it's not a pretty sight". The Guardian.
- ^ Krzysztoszek, Aleksandra (14 April 2023). "Poles at the Polls: A pact against PiS?". euractiv.com.
- ^ Bobiński, Krszysztof (13 November 2023). "Kaczynski decries 'German' takeover of Polish parliament". euobserver.com.
- ^ Day, Matthew (16 October 2023). "Poland faces bitter battle as Donald Tusk's opposition gains edge in election". The Daily Telegraph.
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- ^ Shotter, James (30 September 2023). "Kaczynski returns to frontline Polish politics in cabinet shake-up". Financial Times.
- ^
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- Bill, Stanley (18 May 2021). "The "Polish Deal": PiS strikes back as opposition falter". Notes From Poland. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
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