Partia Razem Together Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | Razem[1] |
| Spokesperson | Mateusz Merta[2] |
| Co-leaders | |
| Parliamentary leader | Marcelina Zawisza |
| Founded | 16 May 2015 |
| Registered | 21 May 2015[3] |
| Split from | Young Socialists The Greens[4] |
| Headquarters | Nowy Świat 27,Warsaw[5] |
| Youth wing | Młodzi Razem |
| Membership(2025) |  8,287 |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre-left[10] toleft-wing[11] |
| National affiliation |
|
| European affiliation | European Left Alliance for the People and the Planet Central-Eastern European Green Left Alliance Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (2016–2022) |
| International affiliation | Progressive International (2020–2022)[12] |
| Colours | Alizarin carmine |
| Slogan | "Razem budujemy inną Polskę" - Together We are building a new Poland |
| Sejm | 5 / 460 |
| Senate | 0 / 100 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 53 |
| Regional assemblies | 0 / 552 |
| Party flag | |
 | |
| Website | |
| partiarazem | |
Partia Razem (Polish pronunciation:[ˈpar.tjaˈra.zɛm], meaning 'Together Party')[b] is acentre-left toleft-wingpolitical party in Poland. It was founded in 2015, and from 2019 to 2024 the party's official name wasLewica Razem ([lɛˈvi.t͡saˈra.zɛm], 'Left Together').[13]
The party was one of the eight nationwide committees standing in the2015 parliamentary election. Party co-leaders areAdrian Zandberg andAleksandra Owca, elected at the end of November and beginning of December 2024, following a split in the party in October.[14] It supports principles ofsocial democracy,[15][16]democratic socialism,[8] andsocial liberalism,[7] and has expressedprogressive views.[17] The party is critical of the historical post-communistDemocratic Left Alliance.[18] It is a part of theEuropean Left Alliance for the People and the Planet; a pan-European party that supports an alternative to capitalism.[19] It was a member of theProgressive International andDiEM25.
Razem was founded as a response to the unsuccessful attempt to create a left-wing political platform inPoland during the2015 presidential election.[20] Another reason was dissatisfaction with the role of the post-communistDemocratic Left Alliance as the main centre-left party.[21] Many founders were previously activists in theYoung Socialists,The Greens or local initiatives, including Kraków Against Games.[22]
Razem's main political stances were formulated during the founding congress on 16–17 May 2015, when Razem's first National Board was elected, consisting of Jakub Baran, Aleksandra Cacha, Alicja Czubek,Maciej Konieczny, Magdalena Malińska, Mateusz Mirys, Katarzyna Paprota,Adrian Zandberg, andMarcelina Zawisza. However, several local structures were active even earlier, in March and April. The party was officially registered on 21 July 2015.
Razem registered lists for the2015 parliamentary election in all electoral districts and received 3.6% of the vote in the election, below the 5%threshold to gain seats in parliament.[23][24] However, having met the 3% threshold, the party received state subsidies for their election campaign.
In 2016, Razeminstigated mass protests (called theBlack Protest) against a bill that would impose a complete ban on abortion, proposed by a citizens' initiative.[25][26][27] In 2016,Foreign Policy magazine includedAgnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk of the Razem National Board, together withBarbara Nowacka of Polish Initiative (Inicjatywa Polska), in its annual list of the 100 most influential global thinkers for their role in organising the protest.[28] In 2018,Forbes magazine includedMarcelina Zawisza on its annualEuropeanForbes 30 Under 30 list in the "Law & Policy" category for her role as a co-founder of Razem and one of the organisers of "black protest".[29]
In 2016, Razem began cooperating with theDemocracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25) pan-European movement, founded byYanis Varoufakis.[30][31] In May 2017, Varoufakis expressed DiEM25's support for Razem in the2019 European Parliament election.[32]
On 6 July 2017, Razem organised aprotest againstDonald Trump's visit toPoland. Protesters were dressed as handmaids fromMargaret Atwood'sThe Handmaid's Tale, as a symbol of the stripping down ofwomen's rights both in Poland and theUnited States.[33]
In September 2017, Razem activists filed a complaint with theNational Electoral Commission on behalf of the party, alleging that theAlliance of European Conservatives and Reformists had helped to fund a Law and Justice conference during the 2015 parliamentary election campaign in violation ofEuropean Parliament rules as well as Polish electoral law.[34] On 29 October, the commission announced that it would investigate the complaint.[35][36]
In 2018, the party was subjected to an investigation by the prosecutor's office for allegedly promoting communism, which goes against the Polish constitution. Party co-leaderAdrian Zandberg accused the government of initiating the investigation as retaliation for the party's criticism and repudiated any links between Razem andtotalitarianism.[37]
In early 2019, in the run-up to theEuropean Parliament election Razem Party rejected a proposal of an alignment withRobert Biedroń'sSpring.[38][39] On 28 February, party leaders officially announced formation of the electoral coalition withLabour Union andSocial Justice Movement under the name of Lewica Razem.[40][41] The coalition received 1.24% of overall votes, and thus did not pass the 5% threshold and did not win any seats.[42][43]
For the 2019 parliamentary election, Razem formed a coalition with theDemocratic Left Alliance andWiosna, known asThe Left. The move had been a topic of intense debate due to Razem being founded in opposition to the Democratic Left Alliance. Many activists left due to the decision and the faction Socialist Action split to become an independent organisation.[44][45][46] In the election Razem won six seats in the Sejm. Soon after the election results were announced, the National Board voted to oblige the six elected MPs to donate all income surpassing triple the minimum wage to charity;[47] universally lowering politicians' pay to this threshold was one of the early postulates.[48] Since theelectoral list was formally registered toSLD, Razem's candidates could not receive funding from their own party. Instead, they made personal donations after having withdrawn "appreciation bonus" from the party's budget. The situation caused uproar and was met with opposition within Razem.[49]
During 2021 and 2022, the party released apodcast. Episodes consisted of interviews, discussions, solo talks, and speeches recorded during the parliamentary sessions. Outside of this, Razem is active on othersocial media.
In 2022, Razem ended cooperation with DiEM25 and Progressive International, criticising their, "lack of unequivocal declaration of recognition of Ukraine's sovereignty and the absolute condemnation of Russian imperialism" during the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[50]
In the2023 election, the party continued its engagement inThe Left with other centre-left and left-wing parties. The coalition received the nationwideelectoral list number 3. Seven members of Razem were elected to Sejm and two successfully ran for Senate seats, with theSenate Pact endorsement.[51] Razem had intended to enter government as part of The Left coalition together withDonald Tusk'sCivic Coalition andThird Way after the 2023 election but opted against doing as the other parties refused to include guarantees the party had sought in the coalition agreement, such as the decriminalisation of abortion and higher expenditure targets for issues such as healthcare and housing. However, it vowed to support Tusk's government in votes of confidence.[52]
However, Razem became increasingly disenchanted with the government and clashed with it on a number of issues, including the proposed 2025 budget, and as such, with its coalition partnerNew Left, which entered government while Razem did not.[53] In this context, membership in The Left coalition became increasingly untenable.[54] As a result, on 11–12 October, a non-binding, consultativereferendum was held to decide the course of the party ahead of a party congress on 26–27 October.[55] 54% of participating members voted to leave the Left coalition.[56] In expectation of and against this course being taken by the party at the congress, five Razem parliamentarians, including co-leaderMagdalena Biejat, announced they would be leaving the party and remaining in The Left (parliamentary) coalition on 24 October.[53][57] The party then voted to leave the Left coalition, with 0 votes against, on 27 October.[58] In December, Zandberg was re-elected, whileAleksandra Owca became a new co-leader of the party.[59]
On 11 January 2025, the party's National Council designatedAdrian Zandberg as a candidate in thepresidential election scheduled on 18 May.[60][61]
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The party's economic programme has been described as social democratic;[6] it advocateslabour rights and opposesderegulation andprivatisation of public services. Among its main goals are strengtheningredistribution, adopting a35-hour workweek, raising theincome tax threshold to the equivalent of 12 times the minimum wage (ca. $3,200 as of 2016), establishing progressive corporate tax, and creating a healthcare programme funded directly from the state budget. The party also postulates liquidation of junk contracts (predatory, unregulated working contracts), a ban on health care commercialisation, refunding of in vitro and contraception treatments, restrictions on trade on Sundays and holidays, raising the tax-free amount, introducing a progressive tax for enterprises, increasing the length of parental leave and reducing MPs’ salaries.[6] It also wishes to completely removespecial economic zones from Poland.[62]
The party's economic programme is partially inspired by theNordic model,[62] and it considers itself part of theanti-austerity movement.[63] British economistGuy Standing describes Razem as "the first authentic movement in Poland representing theprecariat".[64] Despite comparisons to radical left, the party is not anti-capitalist and is considered to lean towardssocial liberalism instead.[65] The party strongly condemnscommunism and called accusations of it being communist offensive.[66] In December 2017, Razem rebuked its activist, Łukasz Moll, for calling himself a "democratic communist", prompting his resignation from the party.[67] Although some label the party democratic socialist, Razem is generally critical towards socialism as a system.[68]
Razem believes that Poland should "actively engage in the fight againstclimate change" and expresses its willingness to "take the necessary steps to adapt the economy [of Poland] to the challenges of climate change".[69] The party is a strong supporter of policies to mitigate the effects of climate change. In the party’s programme, it is stated that by 2030, Poland should reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by at least half and by 2050, achieve full climate neutrality. The party proposes, in place of fossil fuels, an energy mix based on renewable energy sources andnuclear energy, and giving priority to research into new energy technologies and the adaptation of the energy system itself.
Razem isprogressive on social issues, supportingdrug liberalisation,sex education in schools andLGBT rights. It also strictly follows gender quotas and is for liberalising Poland's abortion law.[70] However, Polish political scientists Michał Słowikowski and Michał Pierzgalski note that the party prioritises economic issues over social ones:
As far as the normative component of Razem’s programme is concerned, Polityka columnists have pointed out that it is not entirely dominated only by a classic leftist doctrine. While they sympathise with LGBT rights, they consider that economic conditions are key to resolving normative issues. They perceive same-sex marriages or the abortion law through the prism of material conditions, and believe that the rights of women and sexual minorities would be better protected if certain economic conditions were achieved.[71]
The party is hostile towards theCatholic Church, arguing that there should be "essentially no room for cooperation between the state and the church" and postulating the need to stop formulating any agreements with the Church.[72] It postulatesanti-clericalism, including opposition to teaching Catholic religion in public schools, outlawing theconscientious objection right, and abolishing state funding of the Church. Razem supports a concept of a secular state that would ensure "freedom from religion" for its citizens. It also supports exclusion of religious elements from state and school ceremonies and buildings, and argues that "religious associations should support themselves by running their own businesses". The party also wants to remove theoffending religious feelings from the Polish penal law.[72]
It has opposed the introduction ofSingle Member Electoral Constituencies for elections to the PolishSejm, which in their opinion leads to the creation of atwo-party system.[73] Razem is also critical of left-leaning big tent projects such as theUnited Left, arguing that the Polish left has discredited itself by working together with people likeLeszek Miller (formerDemocratic Left Alliance Prime Minister) andJanusz Palikot (leader ofYour Movement). Razem's founders state that "the postcommunist left-wing parties must disappear, so that a new, modern, European left party can reclaim the leftist vote".[71]
The party maintains a critical attitude towards thePolish People's Republic and condemns its system and authoritarian practices;[68] however the party also opposes the so-calleddecommunisation laws and theInstitute of National Remembrance, which they deem are used by the Polish right to wage a war against the historic memory and legacy of the political left.[74][75]
On the issue of migration, Razem advocates anopen door migration policy.[76] It poses a welcoming stance torefugees entering Poland and considers it an obligation of the Polish state to 'help the most deprived'. It opposes the construction ofborder barriers.[77]
Razem has been described as pro-European,[9] and pro-NATO.[78] The party supports an active role for Poland in the international community, citing theUnited Nations andOSCE as the most important organisations in that context.[69]
The party is a strong supporter of the European Union and has taken a stance againstBrexit. The party believes that the EU, in its current form, represents the interests of 'big business', but has nonetheless found 'indisputable successes' and could be reformed to create a 'progressive' pan-European social and tax policy. The party is a proponent of strongerEuropean integration.[79] The party further proposes the creation of anEU army,[69] and is also a supporter of transforming the EU intoEuropean United States.[80]
On the other hand, in 2019 the party has criticised theEurozone, stating that it had been 'poorly thought-out' and could lead to financial shocks in 'weaker Union economies', however adding that if the 'reformed' Eurozone were to become 'truly solidary', it would fully support Poland's adoption of theEuro.[81] In the2025 Polish presidential election, Razem presented a more pro-European stance, advocating an open-door migration policy, increased European Union cooperation and immediate adoption of the euro.[76]
The party explicitly rejected views that the blame for theRusso-Ukrainian War might lie with Ukraine or NATO. It supports deliver of weapons and military supplies to Ukraine and also supports sanctions against Russia. The party also moved towards supporting NATO, praising it as "the most effective guarantor of Poland's and Europe's security at present".[82] At the same time, the party declared that it is convinced thatNATO alone was 'not a sufficient tool' to ensure the lasting security of Poland and Europe, instead preferring the creation of an EU Army through theCommon Security and Defence Policy. Razem cut ties with theDiEM25 movement ofYanis Varoufakis because of DiEM25's opposition to NATO.[83]
Razem supports efforts for internationalarms control anddisarmament as part of a larger 'peace policy'. The party states that it opposes 'all forms ofimperialism' and has condemned the2003 invasion of Iraq, which they deem to be a violation ofinternational law.[69] It has condemned Russian PresidentVladimir Putin's foreign policy, what they deem to be theKremlin's 'nationalist hysteria', 'extreme conservatism' and 'legally sanctionedhomophobia', as well as theRussian annexation of Crimea. It criticised the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine as "Putin that has repeatedly broken international law by infringing upon the territorial integrity of a neighbouring country".[84] At the same time, it has criticised 'the policy of the conservative-liberal Ukrainian government'. Razem stated that if it were in power, it would 'support social justice [in Ukraine] and limit the influence of theUkrainian oligarchy'.[85]
The party opposesTTIP andCETA, as they believe they will "lead to the undermining of financial stability and rapid growth of debt".[69] The party has also expressed sympathy and support for theSyrian andTurkish Kurds and has condemned Turkey's rulingAK Party, which they consider authoritarian and discriminatory.[86]
Pursuant to the party statute, the Congress has the supreme authority within the party and convenes once a year. It consists of delegates selected within party districts. Other national bodies of the party are the:
The National Board has exercised acollective executive leadership until November 2022, when co-chairperson posts were introduced by a statute amendment.[88][89]
| Co-leader | Tenure | Co-leader | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Magdalena Biejat | 27 November 2022 – 24 October 2024 |  Adrian Zandberg | 27 November 2022 – Incumbent | |
_(cropped).jpg) Aleksandra Owca | 3 December 2024 – Incumbent |
| Name | Constituency | Votes (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Magdalena Biejat | Warszawa I (no. 19) | 19,501 (1.41%) |
| Daria Gosek-Popiołek | Kraków (no. 13) | 17,488 (2.69%) |
| Maciej Konieczny | Katowice (no. 31) | 22,262 (4.74%) |
| Paulina Matysiak | Sieradz (no. 11) | 16,757 (3.64%) |
| Adrian Zandberg | Warszawa I (no. 19) | 140,898 (10.20%) |
| Marcelina Zawisza | Opole (no. 21) | 19,206 (4.73%) |
Source:[90]
| Name | Sejm constituency | Votes (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Maciej Konieczny | Katowice (no. 31) | 17,901 (3.40%) |
| Paulina Matysiak | Sieradz (no. 11) | 17,695 (3.32%) |
| Marta Stożek | Wrocław (no. 3) | 19,434 (2.50%)[c] |
| Adrian Zandberg | Warszawa I (no. 19) | 64,435 (3.76%) |
| Marcelina Zawisza | Opole (no. 21) | 19,388 (4.04%) |
Source:[91]
| Name | Sejm constituency | Votes (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Daria Gosek-Popiołek | Kraków (no. 13) | 39,054 (5.16%) |
| Dorota Olko | Warszawa I (no. 19) | 44,188 (2.58%) |
| Joanna Wicha | Warszawa II (no. 20) | 15,324 (2.10%) |
| Name | Senate constituency | Votes (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Magdalena Biejat | WesternWarsaw (no. 45)[d] | 204,934 (72.40%) |
| Anna Górska | Kashubia (no. 63) | 89,216 (38.17%) |
| Election | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| 2020 | EndorsedRobert Biedroń | 432,129 | 2.2(#6) | ||
| 2025 | Adrian Zandberg | 952,832 | 4.86(#6) | ||
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 550,349 | 3.62(#8) | 0 / 460 | New | Extra-parliamentary |
| 2019 | 2,319,946 | 12.56 (#3) | 6 / 460 | 6 | PiS |
| As part of theDemocratic Left Alliance party list, that won 49 seats in total.[e] | |||||
| 2023 | 1,859,018 | 8.61 (#4) | 7 / 460 | 1 | PiS Minority (2023) |
| KO–PL2050–PSL–NL(2023–2024) | |||||
| KO–PL2050–PSL–NL(2024–present) | |||||
| As part ofThe Left coalition, that won 26 seats in total.[f] | |||||
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | Majority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1,131,639 | 5.29 (#4) | 2 / 100 | New | KO–TD–L(2023–2024) |
| KO–TD–L(2024–present) | |||||
| As part ofThe Left coalition, that won 9 seats in total.[f] | |||||
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/− | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Magdalena Biejat Adrian Zandberg | 168,745 | 1.24 (#6) | 0 / 52 | New | − |
| As the Left Together coalition, that didn't win any seat. | ||||||
| 2024 | Magdalena Biejat Adrian Zandberg | 741,071 | 6.30 (#5) | 0 / 53 |  0 | − |
| As part ofThe Left coalition, that won 3 seats in total. | ||||||
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 242,511 | 1.57(#8) | 0 / 552 | New |
| 2024 | 911,430 | 6.32(#5) | 1 / 552 | 1 |
| As part ofThe Left, which won 8 seats in total. | ||||
Former members include:
Together was founded in May 2015 in response to the call for common left-wing circles, the start of leftist parties in parliamentary elections. [...] This leftist group is part of the social democratic ideology.
However, it is difficult to judge its chances so far. It is doubtful if the model of the successful Greek Coalition of the radical left (SYRIZA) can be applied in post-communist states. A similar attempt occurred also in Poland with Razem [Together], established in 2015, in this case not taking an explicitly anti-capitalist position but rather advocating grassroots activism and Green social liberalism.
A liberal party, Razem [Together], spoke about the responsibility to accept refugees and was as such more in line with Catholic teachings than the PiS party that identifies as a Catholic party.
Elected representatives — including members of the liberal Razem party — were pictured wearing bright colours and rainbow masks outside the ceremony in Warsaw.
Razem [Together], a new left-liberal formation founded by young intellectuals and social activists despairing of the sld;
The group of green-leftist-liberal rivals includes Austrian Greens, Polish Razem and Hungarian Lehet Más a Politika (Politics Can Be Different, LMP), Együtt/Together and Párbeszéd/Dialogue; these parties attract financially more fortunate, typically young voters with post-materialistic values.
Razem łączy w sobie kilka nurtów, od socjaldemokracji, przez zieloną lewicę po demokratyczny socjalizm.[Razem combines several trends, from social democracy, through the green left, to democratic socialism.]
Poland's Razem party is pro-European because the country's Right is pursuing anti-EU, nationalist policies and putting key fundamental rights at stake.
On the other hand, the center-left Razem (Together) is openly committed to gender equality and calls for reaching parity on their website (Razem, 2016).
In Polen ist es stattdessen zu einer interessanten, beispiellosen Verbindung dreier Parteien gekommen, die als mitte-links einzuordnen sind: Der SLD, der Lewica Razem (Linke Gemeinsam) und der Wiosna (Frühling) von Robert Biedroń (Anmerkung: Polnischer Politiker und Publizist, der seine eigene Partei gegründet hat).[In Poland, instead, an interesting, unprecedented alliance has emerged between three parties that can be classified as centre-left: the SLD, the Lewica Razem (Left Together) and the Wiosna (Spring) of Robert Biedroń (note: Polish politician and publicist who founded his own party).]
New Left (common list of Nowa Lewica and Razem) ran a very intense campaign and focused on traditional centre-left issues (public policies, housing etc.), but still emerged from the vote weakened and went from 49 to 26 seats (7 of which are taken by Razem).
At the 2015 parliamentary elections, the youngleft-wing party Razem (Together), made the significant achievement of crossing the three percent threshold needed to receive state funding.
However, it is difficult to judge its chances so far. It is doubtful if the model of the successful Greek Coalition of the radical left (SYRIZA) can be applied in post-communist states. A similar attempt occurred also in Poland with Razem [Together], established in 2015, in this case not taking an explicitly anti-capitalist position but rather advocating grassroots activism and Green social liberalism.
This went through parliament unopposed, even by the most left wing deputies from the Razem (Together) party. Razem is so nervous of being seen as not sufficiently pro-Nato that it recently cut ties to Yanis Varoufakis' Diem25 movement because Varoufakis wants Nato withdrawal.
For example, because Western left brand the "Razem" party as pro-NATO, they refuse to discuss other topics with it: economic, ecological, cultural, etc.
The Polish "left" (which actually consists of post-communists who, despite their political origins, created one of the most neoliberal governments in Poland's history in 2001-2005, social liberals focused only on issues such as LGBT, and the Razem party – created by Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, i.e. the German version of the Open Society Foundation, which believes that the ideal path is "Nordic socialism" (which I criticised in one of my other articles). The entire Polish "left" is, of course, openly anti-communist, pro-NATO, pro-EU and pro-Ukrainian) focused on the housing crisis, promising to build social housing.
This went through parliament unopposed, even by the most left wing deputies from the Razem (Together) party. Razem is so nervous of being seen as not sufficiently pro-Nato that it recently cut ties to Yanis Varoufakis' Diem25 movement because Varoufakis wants Nato withdrawal.
European Parliament group:The Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL | |
| Member parties | |
| See also | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
