Sovereign Poland Suwerenna Polska | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Zbigniew Ziobro |
| Secretary-General | Andrzej Dera |
| Founded | 24 March 2012 |
| Dissolved | 12 October 2024 |
| Split from | Law and Justice |
| Merged into | Law and Justice |
| Youth wing | The New Generation (Polish:Nowe Pokolenie) |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing[8] tofar-right[9] Factions: Centre-right[10] |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| National affiliation | United Right |
| European affiliation | Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy (2012-2015) |
| European Parliament group | EFD (2012–2014) ECR Group (2019-2024) |
| Colours |
|
| Website | |
| suwerennapolska | |
Sovereign Poland (Polish:Suwerenna Polska,SP), also known asUnited Poland[15] (Polish:Solidarna Polska; alternatively translated toSolidarity Poland),[18] until 2023, was aCatholic-nationalistpolitical party inPoland led byZbigniew Ziobro. It was founded in 2012, as theCatholic-nationalist split from theLaw and Justice, with whom they later formed theUnited Right alliance in 2014. Sovereign Poland merged withLaw and Justice on 12 October 2024.
The party has been described asnational-conservative,[19]nationalist,[2] andCatholic-nationalist.[22] It was also staunchlysocially conservative.[23] It was opposed toabortion andeuthanasia, and supported extendingmaternity leave to nine months.[24] It waseurosceptic,[12][25]Anti-LGBT,[26] and its staunch opposition tosame-sex marriage was cited as a main reason it left the ECR group in the European Parliament in 2012.[27] It has also been described asright-wing populist mainly due to theiropposition to immigration.[28] It was the most anti-EU party in the United Right coalition.[7] Between 2012 and 2021 it was described asright-wing[8] andfar-right,[9] with acentre-right faction.[10]
In its 2013 program, United Poland called for the government intervention in the economy, especially tax policy.[29] The party has called for a 'fat cat' tax on big companies, includingsupermarkets, and backs higher taxes on those who earn over 10,000 złotych (€2,400) a month.[24]
During the tenure of then-United Poland leaderZbigniew Ziobro asMinister of Justice, Ziobro was the architect of judicial reforms to theConstitutional Tribunal, which resulted in thePolish Constitutional Tribunal crisis.[30] Law and Justice Prime MinisterMateusz Morawiecki has blamed United Poland for failures associated with these reforms, while Ziobro has criticised Law and Justice and PresidentAndrzej Duda for blocking elements of the reform package.[31]
In 2022, United Poland called for tougherblasphemy laws in Poland, such as three-year jail terms for insulting church or interrupting Mass.[32]
After Ziobro and fellow MEPsTadeusz Cymański andJacek Kurski were ejected from PiS for disloyalty on 4 November 2011,[24] Ziobro's supporters within PiS formed a new group in theSejm.[33] Despite claims that the new group was not attempting to form a new party, the MPs were expelled from Law and Justice.[34] The party was founded in 2012 byLaw and Justice (PiS)MEPZbigniew Ziobro, who led the party's conservative Catholic-nationalist faction.[35]
In 2012, their MEPs left theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) to join theEurope of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group in opposition to the ECR's more liberal stance ongay marriage, its support for the EU'sclimate change policy, and its advocacy of cuts to theCommon Agricultural Policy.[27]
The party was officially launched on 24 March 2012. At the time, opinion polls put the party just around 2%.[24] In a 2020 poll, it found that if the party ran independent from theUnited Right it would gain 5.4% votes.[36]
Sovereign Poland merged withLaw and Justice on 12 October 2024 during PiS congress inPrzysucha,[37] despite concerns from some high-ranking members of both parties.[40]
Leader:
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| Election | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | ||
| 2015 | SupportedAndrzej Duda | 5,179,092 | 34.8 (#1) | 8,719,281 | 51.5 (#1) |
| 2020 | SupportedAndrzej Duda | 8,450,513 | 43.50 (#1) | 10,440,648 | 51.03% (#1) |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Zbigniew Ziobro | 5,711,687[a] | 37.6[b] (#1) | 8 / 460 | New | PiS |
| As part of theUnited Right coalition, that won 235 seats in total.[41] | ||||||
| 2019 | Zbigniew Ziobro | 8,051,935[c] | 43.6[d] (#1) | 10 / 460 |  2 | PiS |
| As part of theUnited Right coalition, that won 235 seats in total. | ||||||
| 2023 | Zbigniew Ziobro | 7,640,854[e] | 35.4[f] (#1) | 18 / 460 | 8 | KO–PL2050–KP–NL |
| As part of theUnited Right coalition, that won 194 seats in total. | ||||||
| Election | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2 / 100 | New |
| As part of theUnited Right coalition, that won 61 seats in total. | ||
| 2019 | 2 / 100 |  0 |
| As part of theUnited Right coalition, that won 48 seats in total. | ||
| 2023 | 1 / 100 |  1 |
| As part of theUnited Right coalition, that won 34 seats in total. | ||
| Election | Votes | Leader | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Zbigniew Ziobro | 281,079 | 4.20 (#6) | 0 / 51 | New | – |
| 2019 | Zbigniew Ziobro | 6,192,780[g] | 45.38 (#1)[h] | 1 / 52 | 1 | ECR |
| As part of theUnited Right coalition, that won 27 seats in total. | ||||||
| 2024 | Zbigniew Ziobro | 4,253,169[i] | 36.16 (#2)[j] | 2 / 53 | 1 | ECR |
| As part of theUnited Right coalition, that won 20 seats in total. | ||||||
Solidarity Poland (Solidarna Polska, SP) absorbed a big portion of the radical nationalist ideology
Both splinter parties remained socially conservative
The ruling coalition in the Polish Sejm is very slim and depends on radicals. Any concessions to Brussels would result in a major political crisis and, most probably, the dissolution of the coalition by its most anti-European member – United Poland. This party's leader, Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, has already made threats about leaving the government and presenting his independent plans in 2023 if the prime minister follows the recommendations from Brussels.
Coalitions, not parties, are what matters in the current landscape. For example, United Right consists of Law and Justice, center-right Sovereign Poland (Suwerenna Polska), and the populist Kukiz Party.
He also stressed that his political party, the centre-right Solidarity Poland, is against MEPs being granted immunity.
Szefowie ugrupowań centroprawicowych Jarosław Gowin (Polska Razem), Marek Jurek (Prawica Rzeczypospolitej), Zbigniew Ziobro (Solidarna Polska), Artur Zawisza (Ruch Narodowy – lokalnie Narodowa Ostrołęka startująca z listy KNP Janusza Korwin Mikkego) wyrazili poparcie dla kandydata na prezydenta Ostrołęki Janusza Kotowskiego.
