Citizens' Movement for Democratic Action Ruch Obywatelski Akcja Demokratyczna | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Władysław Frasyniuk |
| Founder | Zbigniew Bujak Władysław Frasyniuk Adam Michnik Jan Lityński Henryk Wujec Zofia Kuratowska |
| Founded | 16 July 1990 |
| Dissolved | 11 May 1991 |
| Split from | Solidarity Citizens' Committee |
| Succeeded by | Democratic Union (Liberal faction) Democratic-Social Movement (Social-democratic faction) |
| Membership | ~5000 |
| Ideology | Political liberalism Reformism Factions: Social democracy Economic liberalism |
| Political position | Centre |
| National affiliation | Solidarity Citizens' Committee |
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TheCitizens' Movement for Democratic Action (Polish:Ruch Obywatelski Akcja Demokratyczna,ROAD) was apolitical faction in Poland coalescing theliberal wing ofSolidarity movement after its entry into theSejm in the1989 parliamentary election. Its competition with the conservative wing of Solidarity represented by theCentre Agreement culminated in ROAD's defeat in the1990 presidential election and ultimate unification with theForum of the Democratic Right into theDemocratic Union.
On 24 August 1989,Tadeusz Mazowiecki became Poland's first non-communistPrime Minister of Poland sinceFelicjan Sławoj Składkowski in theinterwar era. Mazowiecki's coronation as Prime Minister came about as the result of an agreement between two of the political factions withinSolidarność - the futureCentre Agreement (PC) led byLech andJarosław Kaczyński, and the trade union's leader,Lech Wałęsa, who sought to sideline thePolish United Workers' Party (PZPR) and create a coalition between Solidarność, theAlliance of Democrats andUnited People's Party - formerly PZPR'ssatellite parties.
However, Mazowiecki, soon after assuming the office of Prime Minister, fell out with Wałęsa and the Kaczyński brothers, rejecting their influence and pursuing aliberal andreformist course for Poland.[1]
The Movement was founded on 16 July 1990 as a faction within theCitizens' Parliamentary Club [pl] by its reformist members, which supported Mazowiecki.[2] It often collaborated with two different factions of Solidarność, Mazowiecki's Democratic Union (UD) andAleksander Hall'sForum of the Democratic Right.
The party declared itself as a counterforce to the Centre Agreement, primarily clashing on the issue of PZPR within the Sejm. While PC wanted to sideline the communists and laterpost-communists, ROAD were open to cooperation with reformists and liberals within PZPR. Before ROAD's formal founding, its future members sought to establish a coalition between Solidarność and PZPR's reformist wing.[1] During the firstlustration proceedings in the firstSejm, members of theDemocratic Union (UD) andLiberal Democratic Congress (KLD), which derived from ROAD, were, along the post-communists, lustration's only opponents.[2]
Lech Wałesa planned to see himself elected President by theNational Assembly (a joint sitting of the Sejm and Senate).[1] However, in September 1990, ROAD blocked Wałęsa's initiative, and forced through a general presidential election, which occurred two months later. Despite declaring itself not to be part of Mazowiecki's political base, they were allies, and its leadership were among the Prime Minister's political advisors in the conflict between Mazowiecki and Wałęsa, which the latter would famously label the "War at the top [pl]" (Polish:Wojna na górze).
The1990 Polish presidential election saw ROAD support Mazowiecki's candidacy against Wałęsa, who was backed by PC. The notoriously uncharismatic Mazowiecki was thoroughly humiliated, falling third, behinddark horse candidateStanisław Tymiński. Tymiński was seen as a threat to the Solidarność establishment, which forced Mazowiecki to begrudgingly endorse Wałesa in the second round - which Wałęsa won with a historic 74.25% of the vote. Mazowiecki's humiliation in the first round led to his resignation on 12 January 1991.[1]
In January 1991, ROAD held a Congress, where they elected Władysław Frasyniuk as the group's leader. It also decided to secede from the Citizens' Parliamentary Club, and form its own, the "Parliamentary Club - Democratic Union" (Polish:Klub Parlamentarny - Unia Demokratyczna).[2]
Largely losing relevance following Mazowiecki's resignation, on 11 May 1991, the group merged, alongside FPD, into the Democratic Union, to contest the1991 Polish parliamentary election as one party. The Democratic Union would be the first Sejm's largest party until FPD seceded from it again later.
Left-leaning dissidents led by Zbigniew Bujak, which were against joining UD, split off and formed thesocial democraticDemocratic-Social Movement in March 1991.
The Movement supportedparliamentary democracy,political pluralism, therule of law,separation of powers,judicial independence, restricting the powers of the state, expandedlocal governance. Its support was rooted in Poland'sintelligentsia andmiddle class.
Despite attempts to distance itself from the "liberal" label, and calling for asocial market economy, they supported the decisivelyliberal,free-marketeconomic reforms ofLeszek Balcerowicz, along with his program of massprivatization ofgovernment enterprises. However, in March 1991, they also sought to forge an agreement betweentrade unions and employers and the government. One of the leaders, Zbigniew Bujak, called for ROAD to adopt ideals of social democracy.
Despite not following the ideals ofcommunism, it was also notanti-communist like the majority of Poland's political groupings at the time. It rejected the labels ofleftism orrightism, instead saying it fell "to the west of center".[2]
| Election year | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of votes | % of vote | ||||
| 1990 | Tadeusz Mazowiecki | 2,973,264 | 18.08 (#3) | SupportedLech Wałęsa | |
