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The Polish Parliamentary elections 2015: A gender analysis

Mikulak, Magdalena (2015) The Polish Parliamentary elections 2015: A gender analysis. Engenderings (03 Nov 2015). Website.

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Abstract

On 25 October, 50,92% of Polish citizens entitled to vote exercised their right to do so in the parliamentary elections. Yet, it is not the low turn out that made this year’s election unusual (turn out for the 2011 elections was 48,9%), but the sweeping victory for the right. The results gave the conservative right-wing party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS) (Law and Justice) 37,58% of the total vote allowing it to independently form a government. Commenting on the outcome, Adam Michnik, editor in chief of the most important left-leaning daily, Gazeta Wyborcza (Electoral Gazette), remarked that one cannot take offence at democracy. The ruling centre-right party Platforma Obywatelska (PO) (Civic Platform) came second (with 24,09% of the votes), followed by two entirely new parties – Kukiz’15, led by a populist rebel with many causes and no plan (8,81%) and the liberal, business orientated Nowoczesna.Pl (Modern.Pl) (7,6%). The only other party that made it past the electoral threshold (5% for a single party and 8% for a coalition) was Polskie Stronnictowo Ludowe (PSL) (Polish Peasant Party), which received 5,13% of the votes (Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza, 2015). The results for the upper house of the parliament, the senat were as follows: PiS 61%, PO 34%, PSL 1%, with the 4 remaining per cent going to independent candidates. In short, in the 26 years of Polish democracy, the parliament has never looked so right-wing, and the consequences of it will certainly be felt in areas such as gender equality and women’s rights, with the first becoming evident already in the electoral campaign.

Item Type: Online resource (Website)
Official URL: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/gender/
Additional Information: © 2015 The Author(s)
Divisions: Gender Studies
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe)
Date Deposited: 24 May 2017 09:16
Last Modified: 15 Sep 2023 20:07
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/78577

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