Poland

Yearbook

    Non-Voting and Support for Left Parties in Poland
  • Introduction For the first time since 1918, the Polish left has no representation in parliament. The country is now governed by a conservative nationalist party, which has managed to gain the support of sections of society that are amongst the most excluded and dissatisfied by the reality of...

Focus

    The results of the European Elections in Poland
  • The ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) won a significant victory in the European elections in Poland, strengthening its position in the run up to this autumn's national parliamentary elections. This was despite the fact that many of the opposition parties stood in a single coalition against PiS. The remaining left and liberal parties were marginal
    East of the West
  • This analysis has been presented at the International Workshop of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation “On the situation of the left in Europe after the EU elections: New challenges”. July 21-23, 2014, in Berlin
    Poland
  • Short Summary 1. The electoral system is the same for the national parliamentary elections, i.e., proportional representation combined with majority constituency voting. The local electoral committees in constituencies set up their own candidates list, and determine its order, but the total...

Blog

    A New Wave of Protest against Abortion Laws in Poland
  • There has been a new wave of civic protests in Poland against the anti-women policy of the conservative Law and Justice party government and its right-wing coalition partners. As a result of a ruling by the illegally appointed Constitutional Tribunal, politicised by the current government, abortion...
    The Victims on Europe’s Eastern Borders
  • A humanitarian emergency is once again developing on the European Union’s borders: Refugees find themselves trapped between Poland and Belarus as Polish government takes increasingly aggressive action and even declared the state of emergency in two of its regions.
    We've Had Enough! Women's Strike 2020
  • Starting last autumn, massive demonstrations against the near-total ban on abortion have swept through the streets of Polish cities and towns under the banner of Women's Strike – the country's biggest protests in recent history.
    "To Regain the Right to Decide for Ourselves"
  • Agnieszka Mrozik speaks with Ewa Dąbrowska-Szulc, President of Pro Femina Association, Poland on the actual and past protests against abortion laws, feminist organisation and on the history of women's right to self-determination in Poland.
    'WATCH OUT' – A New Anti-Fascist Educational Initiative Online
  • On the occasion of the International Day against Fascism and Antisemitism (9 November, the anniversary of the November pogrom 1938), the Polish ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association announces the launch of the online educational initiative ‘Watch Out’, conzeptualized by the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association and the Forward Foundation, supported by transform! europe.
    Feminism in Poland
  • On the rise of grass root movements and the possibilities for feminism in Poland.
    LGBT People Against the Authoritarianism of the Conservative Right
  • Recently, Poland's LGBT community and its supporters took to the streets in protest. It is a reaction to the growing trend of increased hateful rhetoric and actions expressed publicly by various organisations, politicians as well as by Poland's President Andrzej Duda and was fueled by the recent court ruling against an LGBT activist.
    Poland’s Presidential Election plagued by Right-Wing Homophobia
  • Whilst the threat of the pandemic still hangs over Poland, the country is going to the polls at the end of the month to vote for its new President. The election is dominated by candidates from the two main right-wing parties, with the incumbent Andrzej Duda using homophobic propaganda as a central theme in his campaign.
    States of Emergency in Europe: Poland
  • Series of overviews by authors of our network on political measures of state of emergency in European countries. The selection will be extended continuously.
    Hope for Polish Left?!
  • The 2019 Polish parliamentary elections were held on 13 October 2019. All 460 members of the Sejm and 100 senators of the Senate were elected. The ruling PiS win the elections, far-right enters the parliament, whilst the left returns to parliament.
    Poland and the Left After the Local Elections
  • The recent local elections in Poland have once again been dominated by the country’s two main right-wing parties: Law and Justice Party (PiS) and Citizens’ Platform (PO). They have also underlined the present weakness of the Polish left, which was further marginalised during these elections.
    ‘Keep Rosa Luxemburg’s Birthplace Plaque!’
  • We the undersigned protest against the removal of a plaque commemorating the birthplace of Rosa Luxemburg in the Polish city of Zamość. We demand that the local government authorities in Zamość return the plaque to its rightful place.
    Self-Determination and the Future of Europe
  • The hundredth anniversary of Poland gaining independence raises many emotions. Over the past two years the right-wing discourse, including on historical and contemporary issues, as well as the future of Poland in a Europe in crisis, has dominated in Poland.
    Change and Continuity in the Polish Government
  • After two years in government, the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) has made some significant changes to the personnel of its government. Nevertheless, these changes are more designed to consolidate the government’s position, rather than signalling any significant alteration in its political course.
    ‘Independence March’ – The Unholy Alliance of the Polish Right
  • The annual Independence march (Marsz Niepodległości) took place in Warsaw on 11 November. Over 60,000 people attended, some of them masked and setting off red smoke bombs. Banners were carried with slogans supporting things such as a ‘white’ Poland and Europe and against refugees.
    Polish Left: Mistakes of the Past and Challenges of the Future
  • When we observe the current political scene in Europe, we get the impression that something has gone very wrong. We can see that we – the left – have made many serious mistakes and that our weakness has given new opportunities to right-wing movements and parties.
    Which Way for the Left?
  • The Polish left-wing think tank Naprzód (Forward) co-organised a day-conference with transform! to discuss the common challenges facing the Polish and European left. How can the left rebuild itself in a situation when politics is increasingly dominated by the conservative and neo-liberal right?
    The Law and Justice Party and Poland’s Turn to the Right
  • It has been over a year since the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) took over complete governmental control in Poland. The presidential election won by Andrzej Duda in May 2015 and the victory of PiS five months later, gave party’s leader Jarosław Kaczyński almost total control of the state.
    ‘Authoritarianism and Nationalism in Europe’
  • The new left-wing think tank in Poland, Naprzód (Forward), organised its first public event on 5 November, at the headquarters of the Polish Teachers’ Union in Warsaw. The topic of the day-long conference was ‘Authoritarianism and Nationalism in Europe’.
    For Formal Freedoms and Real. The ‘Black Protest’ in Poland
  • Given that Poland has one of the lowest natality rates in EU, and its population does not comprise from nuns, priests and friars but regular people, one could expect abortion rate to reach levels similar to other European countries, i.e. approximately 150,000 per year. And yet, officially speaking, the number of abortions performed in the country barely exceeds 1,000.
    Poland, the Land of Evictions
  • Poland is facing a housing and eviction crisis due to the disparity between low incomes and high housing costs. Recent developments in this area are both cause for celebration and concern.
    The Liberal Roots of Conservatism
  • Almost every article in the Western media, covering the recent developments in Poland, have followed the same script. How is it possible, they ask, that the supposed success story of the post-Communist transition has diverted from the political and economic road that has served them so well?
    Poland Lurches to the Right
  • The recent parliamentary elections in Poland were historic, although unfortunately for all the wrong reasons. For the first time since 1989 a political party in Poland has won an overall majority in parliament, with the conservative nationalist Law and Justice Party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość – PiS) winning over 37% of the vote. Also for the first time in history, the left will have no representatives in parliament, meaning that Poland is presently the only country inside the European Union where there are no left MPs.
    Presidential elections in Poland
  • On 24 May 2015 the run-off of the Polish presidential elections took place: The nationalist-conservative challenger Duda won the race for the young voters which determined the elections’ result.

Publication

    The Situation of Women in Poland 2020
  • Starting in October 2020, feminist protests, which could not be ignored, have addressed the multitude of issues women are facing in the country. This publication of the Naprzód Foundation – available in English and Polish, co-financed by transform! europe – focuses on structural sexism and the current forms of patriarchal rule in Poland.
    The Law and Justice Party and Poland’s Turn to the Right
  • It has been over a year since the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) took over complete governmental control in Poland. The presidential election won by Andrzej Duda in May 2015 and the victory of PiS five months later, gave party’s leader Jarosław Kaczyński almost total control of the state.

Calendar

    Our Bodies – Our Choice – Our Decisions
  • On the occasion of the International Women's Day on 8 March, organised by transform! europe and the Polish Naprzód Foundation, this webinar brings together feminist activists to discuss the current struggle of Polish women and to reflect on the victorious pro-choice campaigns for accessible, free and safe abortion in Ireland and Argentina.
    "Bad Girls and Disobedient Wombs"
  • Organised by transform! europe and the Iratzar Foundation (Basque Country), this webinar will focus on the political and social control of women's bodies, one of the axes of the IV. International Marxist Feminist Conference.

Webinars

    "Bad Girls and Disobedient Wombs"
  • Organised by transform! europe and the Iratzar Foundation (Basque Country), this webinar will focus on the political and social control of women's bodies, one of the axes of the IV. International Marxist Feminist Conference.