Poland’s presidential election took place in May, 2015. It was considered by many to be an early indicator of the result of the forthcoming parliamentary election. Andrzej Duda of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) was the successful candidate, and the parliamentary election campaign began in earnest. On Sunday, 25 October, 2015, 50.92% of Poland’s electorate voted to elect the country’s national parliament.

Electoral System Explained
The Parliament of the Republic of Poland is composed of a lower chamber, the Sejm, and an upper chamber, the Senate.

The Sejm is composed of 460 members directly elected by universal adult suffrage for a four-year term of office. Sejm seats are filled in forty-one multi-member constituencies, where political parties and coalitions of parties present lists of candidates. Voters indicate a preference for one candidate in one list.

Sejm seats are distributed in each constituency among qualifying lists by the largest average method of proportional representation (PR). In order to participate in the distribution of constituency seats, a party list must obtain at least five percent of all valid votes cast at the national level, while coalition lists are required to obtain at least eight percent of the vote. However, lists representing national minorities are exempt from the electoral threshold requirements.

Two Main Contenders
The election campaign was dominated by the centre-right Civic Platform (PO) which has been in power since 2007 and is affiliated with the European Peoples Party in Europe, and the conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS), which is affiliated with the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists in Europe.

Civic Platform is led by Ewa Kopacz, and has been the major coalition partner in Poland’s government for the last eight years. The party was led and co-founded by Donald Tusk, who was elected last year as the President of the European Council. Many commentators have credited the government with presideding over eight years of growth in Poland, but recently lost steam in its last year in office, tainted by scandals.

The Law and Justice Party Chairman, Jarosław Kaczyński and Prime Ministerial candidate Beata Szydło, lead the party. PiS opposes joining the Eurozone and advocates a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervention in dealing with Russia. The Party has promised tax breaks, increased benefits and more welfare spending.

Other parties include: Kukiz’15, a right-wing political movement led by punk musician Pawel Kukiz; Modern, a left-wing party founded in May, 2015 by the economist Ryszard Petru; The Polish People’s Party (PSL), the junior partner in the coalition with Civic Platform, led by Janusz Piechociński; and the United Left Party (ZL), led by Barbara Nowacka, which was formed in July 2015 and comprises several left-wing parties.

Campaign Issues
Although Civic Platform successfully steered Poland through the Euro crisis to become the only EU country to avoid recession, pockets of poverty and economic stagnation still exist in Poland.

One of the key issues at stake was Europe’s refugee crisis. The incumbent government’s decision to accept 7,000 migrants was heavily criticised by PiS. The party campaigned against the EU forcing Member States to accept a set number of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa.

Throughout Law and Justice’s campaign trail, the party accused Civic Platform of being out-of-touch with ordinary Polish people, while playing on scandals which have plagued the party. In June, three ministers and the country’s parliamentary speaker resigned amid a row over leaked tapes.

Election Result

Law and Justice will be the first party to govern alone in the 26 years since democracy was restored in Poland.

Party Chairman Kaczyński is one of the most well-known politicians and is regarded by many as a staunch defender of Catholic values but he remains a divisive figure in Polish politics. He recently came under fire for saying that refugees fleeing Syria could bring diseases and parasites. If Kaczyński doesn’t intend to become prime minster himself again, pundits claim he will no doubt continue to be the power behind the throne of his protégé Beata Szydlo.

The election of PiS likely means that Poland will join ranks with Hungary and Slovakia in opposing relocation of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa.