Sovereign Poland

Sovereign Poland (Polish: Suwerenna Polska, SP), known as United Poland[1][2][3][4] (alternatively translated as Solidarity Poland)[5][6] until 2023, is a Catholic-nationalist political party in Poland led by Zbigniew Ziobro. It was founded in 2012, as the Catholic-nationalist split from the Law and Justice, with whom they later formed the United Right alliance in 2014.

Sovereign Poland
Suwerenna Polska
LeaderZbigniew Ziobro
Secretary-GeneralAndrzej Dera
Founded24 March 2012
Split fromLaw and Justice
Youth wingThe New Generation (Polish: Nowe Pokolenie)
Ideology
Political positionFar-right
ReligionRoman Catholicism
National affiliationUnited Right
European affiliationMovement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy (2011–2015)
European Parliament groupEurope of Freedom and Democracy (2012–2014)
European Conservatives and Reformists (since 2019)
Colours
  •   Blue
  •   Red
Sejm
20 / 460
Senate
2 / 100
European Parliament
2 / 52
Regional assemblies
20 / 552
Website
suwerennapolska.pl

Ideology

The party has been described as national-conservative,[7] nationalist,[8] and Catholic-nationalist.[1][9][10] It is also staunchly socially conservative.[11][12][13] It is opposed to abortion and euthanasia, and supports extending maternity leave to nine months.[14] It is eurosceptic,[2][15] and its staunch opposition to same-sex marriage was cited as a main reason it left the ECR group in the European Parliament in 2012.[16] It has been also described as right-wing populist mainly due to their opposition to immigration.[17] It has been described as right-wing,[18][19][20] and far-right.[21][22][23][24]

In its 2013 program, United Poland called for government intervention in the economy, especially tax policy.[25] The party has called for a 'fat cat' tax on big companies, including supermarkets, and backs higher taxes on those that earn over 10,000 złotych (€2,400) a month.[14]

In 2022 United Poland called for tougher blasphemy laws in Poland, such as three-year jail terms for insulting church or interrupting mass. [26]

History

After Ziobro and fellow MEPs Tadeusz Cymański and Jacek Kurski were ejected from PiS for disloyalty on 4 November 2011,[14] Ziobro's supporters within PiS formed a new group in the Sejm.[27] Despite claims that the new group was not attempting to form a new party, the MPs were expelled from Law and Justice.[28] The party was founded in 2012 by Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Zbigniew Ziobro, who led the party's conservative Catholic-nationalist faction.[29]

In 2012, their MEPs left the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) to join the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group in opposition to the ECR's more liberal stance on gay marriage, its support for the EU's climate change policy, and its advocacy of cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy.[16]

The party was officially launched on 24 March 2012. At the time, opinion polls put the party just around 2%.[14] In a 2020 poll, it found that if the party ran independent from the United Right it would gain 5.4% votes.[30]

Representatives

Members of the Sejm

Election results

Sejm
Election year # of
votes		  % of
vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Govt?
2015 5,711,687 37.6 (#1)
8 / 460
 Increase 8 Coalition
As a part of a coalition with Law and Justice, which won 235 seats in total.[31]
2019 8,051,935 43.6 (#1)
18 / 460
 Increase 10 Coalition
As a part of a coalition with Law and Justice, which won 235 seats in total.

Presidential
Election year Candidate 1st round 2nd round
# of overall votes  % of overall vote # of overall votes  % of overall vote
2015 Supported Andrzej Duda 5,179,092 34.8 (#1) 8,719,281 51.5 (#1)
2020 Supported Andrzej Duda 8,450,513 43.50 (#1) 10,440,648 51.03% (#1)

European Parliament
Election year # of
votes		  % of
vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/–
2014 281,079 3.98 (#6)
0 / 51
*		 Increase

Footnotes
  1. Nelsen, Brent F.; Guth, James L. (2015). Religion and the Struggle for European Union: Confessional Culture and the Limits of Integration. Georgetown University Press.
  2. Stoyanov, Dragomir (2017). Julie Hassing Nielsen; Mark N. Franklin (eds.). Central and East European Euroscepticism in 2014: Domestic Politics Matter!. The Eurosceptic 2014 European Parliament Elections: Second Order or Second Rate?. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 114.
  3. Lettau, Felix (21 February 2014). "Poland". Project for Democratic Union.
  4. Daniel, William T. (2015). Career Behaviour and the European Parliament: All Roads Lead Through Brussels?. Oxford University Press. p. 149.
  5. Jaskiernia, Jerzy (2016). Donatella M. Viola (ed.). Poland. Routledge Handbook of European Elections. Routledge.
  6. Stępińska, Agnieszka (2017). Ruxandra Boicu; et al. (eds.). Political Advertising During the 2014 Polish EU Parliamentary Election Campaign. Political Communication and European Parliamentary Elections in Times of Crisis. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 14, 18–21.
  7. Krzypinski, Dariusz (2017). Ruxandra Boicu; et al. (eds.). Patterns of Recruitment of Polish Candidates in the 2014 European Parliament Elections. Political Communication and European Parliamentary Elections in Times of Crisis. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 245.
  8. Pankowski, Rafal (2012). "Right-Wing Extremism in Poland" (PDF). Friedrich Ebert Foundation. Solidarity Poland (Solidarna Polska, SP) absorbed a big portion of the radical nationalist ideology
  9. Tidey, Alice (2020-08-19). "Poland to give money to "LGBT free" towns denied EU funding". euronews. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  10. Burdeau, Cain (12 August 2021). "Media, Holocaust laws in Poland draw US condemnation". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 2021-11-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. Napieralski, Bartosz (2017). Political Catholicism and Euroscepticism. Routledge. Both splinter parties remained socially conservative
  12. "Poland's fragmented opposition lets the governing party run wild". The Economist. 2021-04-29. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  13. "Polish doctors torn over mental health as grounds to bypass near-total abortion ban". Reuters. 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  14. "New Polish conservative party launched". TheNews.pl. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  15. "Polish president says changes needed to judges' disciplinary system". Reuters. 2021-07-30. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  16. Brand, Constant (2 January 2012). "Polish MEPs leave ECR group". European Voice. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  17. Zagorski, Piotr; Santana, Andres (25 August 2018). Explaining Support for Right-Wing Populist Parties in Central and Eastern Europe. ECPR General Conference. Hamburg. p. 26.
  18. Freedom in the World 2015. Freedom House. Rowman & Littlefield. 2015. p. 544.
  19. "The rise of the far-right in Poland: No more Eurovision, vegetarians or cyclists". International Business Times. 13 January 2016.
  20. "Polish political crisis over EU pandemic recovery fund". POLITICO. 2021-03-15. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  21. "Nigel Farage heads for row over Ukip's anti-gay allies". The Guardian. 15 December 2012.
  22. Mendel-Nykorowycz, Andrzej (2021-01-08). "Why Poland threatened to veto the EU recovery fund – European Council on Foreign Relations". ECFR. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  23. "Why Poland's "win" on the EU climate budget rings hollow". New Statesman. 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  24. "Money for Nothing? PiS Appears Ready to Call EU's Bluff Over Recovery Funds Standoff [EXCLUSIVE]". gazetapl. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  25. Gospodarka Archived 2013-12-24 at the Wayback Machine (in Polish)
  26. "Polish coalition party proposes three-year jail terms for insulting church or interrupting mass". 14 April 2022.
  27. "Conservative MPs form 'Poland United' breakaway group after dismissals". TheNews.pl. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  28. "MPs axed by Law and Justice opposition". TheNews.pl. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  29. "Party members 'furious' following conservative defeat". TheNews.pl. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  30. "Ziobro's party would win seats if elections were held - daily".
  31. Prawapolityka.pl Energetyka, samorządy, demografia – WYWIAD z dr Janem Klawiterem http://prawapolityka.pl/2015/11/energetyka-samorzady-demografia-wywiad-z-dr-janem-klawiterem/
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