Polish Parliamentary Election in 2001 and Changes of Party System

The article examines results of September 2001 parliamentary election in Poland. These results had a great impact on the evolution of the party arrangement. Government Solidarity Electoral Action Right – AWSP – was preferred by only 5,6% of votes. Former government ally AWSP Freedom Union – UW – gained also bad result (3,1%). Solidarity Electoral Action (the title of the alliance was changed to AWSP in 2001) was preferred by 33,8% (Freedom Union 13,4% of votes) in the last parliamentary election in 1997.The main reason of a fatal defeat of AWS and UW was process of their disintegration and competition of new right political formations. The three popular polish politicians Donald Tusk (UW), Andrzej Olechowski (independent) and Maciej Plaźynński (AWS) initiated a founding of a new right-wing party – Civic Platform (PO) at the beginning of the year 2001. The two brothers Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczyński founded a formation Law and Justice (PiS). A great part of parties elites and members from AWS an UW defected and joined PO and PiS. But left-wing coalition of post-communist Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) and Labour Union (UP) was more successful (with 41% of votes which didn’t gave it the absolute parliamentary majority) in the election. The winner formed a new government coalition with agrarian Polish People’s Party (PSL) (9%). The success of radical political subjects – ultra catholic League of Polish Families (LRP) and agrarian “Samooobrona” - was a surprise of election.