What are the main political parties in Poland offering ahead of the October 15th elections? The second part of an overview takes a look at the smaller political parties.
With Poland's electoral system, coalitions are the norm and "smaller" parties are sometimes "kingmakers" as one international media house has put it.
Confederation (Konfederacja)
On the face of it, this party seems to have the clearest ideology of the parties in the election. Right-wing in a sense Thatcher would have recognised - combining austerity/minimal state economics with nationalism in foreign policy. Scratch the surface, however, and an uneasy mix of views have been pushed together.
The party's patron, Janusz Korwin-Mikke, something of a right-wing dandy, is famous for provocative statements which would be deemed extremist if taken more seriously (such as his repeated claim that women should be denied the vote.)
Krzysztof Bosak, formerly a scout and then "All-Polish Youth" activist, has had a political trajectory similar to other European far-right politicians like Marine Le Pen. He has worked hard to present a more moderate and electable image, distancing himself from racism and homophobia.
Other leaders like Sławomir Mentzen and Grzegorz Braun have been less moderate or less cautious. Mentzen notoriously presented the "Confederation 5" - "We don't want Jews, homosexuals, abortion, taxes or the European Union" at a party meeting. He later attempted to back-peddle out of this fascist-tending statement, claiming he was speaking hypothetically. These were the "kinds of statement that would win popularity", not an expression of his actual views.
Confederation's manifesto includes, among other things, the following proposals:
- “1000+” - universal tax breaks
- Personal Income Tax at 0%
- Opt in / opt out national insurance
- petrol at less than half the current price
- more efficient courts
Polish People's Party (PSL) (Part of "Third Way" Alliance with Poland 2050)
The oldest party currently running in the elections, PSL had had a rich history already pre-war. Since 1989, it has been perceived as a pragmatic party, moderate, without a clear ideology and "easy to get along with" - and therefore a frequent coalition partner.
Rather than policy, its identity has always been closely tied to its grassroots support - rural regions. It has often gained ground in the last days of campaigns as rural areas "reluctantly" come home to PSL, trusting their long-time support of agriculture and the country.
Highlights from their manifesto include:
- 0% VAT on produce, especially agricultural produce
- "health pact" - "full" health service
- universally available daycare for toddlers
- 1000 PLN per month for children and 500 for disabled adults
Poland 2050 (Part of the "Third Way" Alliance with PSL)
The youngest political party, founded in 2020 by Szymon Hołownia. Initially very successful in opinion polls, they enjoyed a large measure of trust, partly on the basis of Hołownia's earlier successful media career and charitable work for Africa. Hołownia is a "centrist" figure in a very Polish sense - a devout Catholic who believes strongly in reform of the Church and separation of Church and State.
The main points of their manifesto include:
- the separation of Church and State
- Poland's entry to the Eurozone
- Green energy transformation
- Reform of state media
- "Contrary to Law and Justice" - transparent economic and taxation systems
- equality of opportunity in primary education
The Left (Alliance of left-wing parties)
"The Left" is an alliance of left-wing parties: the post-communist SLD, Adrian Zandberg's "Together" ("Razem") and "Spring" ("Wiosna") headed by Robert Biedroń.
The left has struggled in opinion polls in Poland since the fall of the SLD government in 2005. One reason has been a blurring of the left-right distinction with Law and Justice's social programs which also took the initiative from the left. Left-wing politicians were left focussing on controversial topics (in Poland) of abortion and gay rights, rather than poverty, the traditional area of strength of the left.
The main issues in The Left's manifesto are:
- "Legal abortion. No compromises"
- Support for LGBT
- Proactive climate policy
- Support for families
- Equality before the law
Recent Tweet of Robert Biedroń, where he claims that The Left is the only group which does not include any members who are "fascists or nationalists". He also rules out the possibility of a coalition with Confederation:
Agrounia (Recently joined the KO Alliance)
Agrounia, founded in 2018 by Michał Kołodziejczak who remains its leader, is a pro-agricultural social movement. Kołodziejczak is a controversial figure who has recently joined Donald Tusk's KO Alliance, presumably to extend the reach of the KO Alliance in rural areas whose voters tend to support Law and Justice or PSL.
Agrounia's main policy initiatives include:
- promotion of "nutritious food"
- food security
- increased salaries
- 1% of GDP dedicated to supporting housing construction and renovation
A Tweet of Kołodziejczak on export of Ukrainian grain - in support of Polish bakers:
Sources: Super Express, tvn24.pl, wyborcza.biz, politico.eu
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