Wolnościowcy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | W[1] |
| Chairman | Artur Dziambor |
| Vice-Chairmen |
|
| Founded | 17 March 2022 (2022-03-17) |
| Dissolved | 3 March 2024 |
| Split from | KORWiN |
| Headquarters |
|
| Ideology | Right-libertarianism[2] |
| Political position | Right-wing[2] |
| National affiliation | Konfederacja (2022)[3] Third Way (2023)[2] |
| Colors | |
| Website | |
| wolnosciowcy | |
Wolnościowcy (Polish pronunciation:[vɔl.nɔɕˈt͡ɕɔ.vtsɨ],W), variously translated asFreedomites,Liberalists,Liberals,Libertarians or theFreedom Party, was a Polish political party created by the formerKORWiN members who at first remained within theConfederation Liberty and Independence coalition and parliamentary group,[4] then left on 13 February 2023, followingArtur Dziambor being kicked out of the Confederation by the party court.[5]Artur Dziambor was selected as a president of the party, whileJakub Kulesza,Dobromir Sośnierz [pl;fr], Tomasz Grabarczyk and Marek Kułakowski became vice-presidents.
The party was created in March 2023 by three MPs of the KORWiN party — Artur Dziambor, Jakub Kulesza and Dobromir Sośnierz. The three had a dispute with the party's leadership; however, Wolnościowcy initially remained in Confederation, becoming a member party of it and declaring itself to be "fourth leg" of the coalition.[3] The reason for the conflict were the pro-Russian declarations ofJanusz Korwin-Mikke. Dziambor, the leader of Wolnościowcy, declaring pro-Ukrainian views and stated: “We didn’t like the fact that we constantly had to deal mainly with commenting on the chairman’s comments.”[6]
In February 2023, the party left the Confederation, becoming an independent party.[7] Wolnościowcy accused theNew Hope of rigging the Confederation primaries, alleging that they had an arrangement with other parties of the Confederation such asNational Movement to have a guaranteed first place on the electoral lists of Confederation.[8] They also argued that the format of the primaries, which required candidates to pay 2,500 PLN and voters 20 PLN to the party was "a form of selling places on the list", and that in effect, "all places have now been filled by Korwin-Mikke's cronies".[9]
After leaving, the party wanted to run independently in the election. Wolnościowcy stated their intention to "challenge the far-right", but also complained about their disadvantage, noting that while theAgreement andAGROunia appear in the polls, Wolnościowcy are not listed at all. They declared their willingness to join the list ofCivic Coaliton orPoland 2050, citing the economically liberal views of these parties.[10]
In May 2023, the party admitted that it was expelled from Confederation rather than having voluntarily left it. It stated that the reason for its expulsion was the party's long conflict with Sławomir Mentzen.[11] It was also revealed that the motion to expel Wolnościowcy was submitted byBartłomiej Pejo, the son-in-law of Korwin-Mikke.[9] Wolnościowcy also the National Movement for allowing the party to be excluded from the coalition. Wolnościowcy declared their willingness to return to Confederation as soon as Mentzen promised a "deep reset and a setting back time at least 6 months".[11]
In July 2023, Dobromir Sośnierz left the party and returned to Confederation Liberty and Independence. After leaving, Sośnierz relevaled thatPoland 2050 andPolish People's Party are considering inviting the leader of Wolnościowcy, Dziambor, to their electoralThird Way electoral list.[12]
In September 2023, Dziambor stated that the party would not run in the2023 Polish parliamentary election given the lack of resources.[13] The same month, Dziambor then joined thePolish Coalition,[14] and declared a change in his views, describing himself as centre-right and taking a middle position between the "devout socialists and devout free-marketers".[15]
In the 2023 Polish parliamentary election, Dziambor ran on the list of Third Way, but failed to secure his seat.[16] However, the Polish People's Party considered his performance impressive, as he won 9,168 votes in theGdynia constituency he ran in - this was the 3rd highest result on the Third Way's electoral list, despite Dziambor being given the last, bottom place on the list.[17]
In March 2024, the party announced that it had been dissolved.[18] Right after the party's dissolution, Dziambor became a member of the Polish People's Party.[19] As its member, he ran on the lists of the Third Way in the2024 Polish local elections for thePomeranian Voivodeship Sejmik, and the2024 European Parliament election in Poland, both times unsuccessfully.[14][16] Nevertheless, his defeat in the 2024 local elections was very narrow, which led other Polish People's Party politicians to state that he is considered for the list on the next parliamentary election.[17] In June 2024, Dziambor was appointed a plenipotentiary at theMinistry of Economic Development and Technology, led byKrzysztof Paszyk of the Polish People's Party at the time.[17]
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 9,168 | 1.34[a] | 0 / 460 |  2 |
| On the list of theThird Way, which won 65 seats in total. | ||||
The party was considered right-wing,[2]free-market fundamentalist,[20] and libertarian in the style ofJanusz Korwin-Mikke.[21] Prior to the party's creation, Dziambor was the vice president of KORWiN.[22] After Wolnościowcy were created, it initially remained in Confederation - there, the party argued that Confederation was too soft on Russia,[23] wanted to make it drop the far-right label and move towards the political centre,[24] and represented the libertarian wing of the Confederation.[25] After leaving Confederation, Wolnościowcy declared themselves to be "a true Confederation, not one ruled by theduumvirate ofRobert Winnicki andSławomir Mentzen."[9]
The party declared itself libertarian,[26] and sought to dedicate itself to "truly libertarian economics".[27] Wolnościowcy wereclassically liberal in the sphere of economy, proposing economic deregulation, privatisation of public services, social spending cuts, radical tax cuts and simplification of taxes. The party wanted to abolish the 500+ Familybaby bonus program and replace it with "appropriate tax relief measures".[28] It also opposed aphase-out of fossil fuel vehicles.[29] The party strongly distanced itself fromLaw and Justice and theUnited Right, criticizing them for economically left-wing positions.[30] On this account, the party accused Confederation of closely cooperating with Law and Justice andAll-Polish Youth, which Wolnościowcy saw as a betrayal of libertarian principles.[9]
Socially, the party advocated for freedom that "goes beyond economic aspects, including freedom of speech and civil liberties". Wolnościowcy focused ondirect democracy andpersonal liberties, proposingdrug liberalization, unrestrictedfreedom of speech,right to keep and bear arms, andelectronic voting.[28] The party opposed civil partnerships and same-sex marriage, arguing that the state should not provide an institution of civil marriage or partnerships at all, relegating it to non-state institutions such as theCatholic Church.[31] The party's MP and co-leader Dobromir Sośnierz was described as a "staunch opponent of abortion, regardless of the reasons for it".[32] The party also criticizedGrzegorz Braun for his "fight with Christmas trees", when Braun destroyed a christmas tree in public building for having an LGBT-themed tree bauble on it.[30]
It spoke for a pragmatic foreign policy that "takes into account Poland's membership of the Latin civilisation".[28] Wolnościowcy supported Ukraine and condemned Confederation for pro-Russian views,[30] and denounced the coalition for going "fully pro-Putin".[33] They argued that the statements of Grzegorz Braun and Korwin-Mikke, prominent figures in Confederation at the time, were openly anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian.[9] The leader of Wolnościowcy stated his support forDonald Trump and argued that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if Trump were re-elected in the2020 United States presidential election.[34] The party's MPs were critical of theEuropean Union - Sośnierz argued that Poland had become a "scapegoat" of the EU, and stated: "The EU has radically violated the sovereignty of Member States on many issues, including in relation to Poland and Hungary. It is clear that the benefits of EU membership are diminishing, while the obligations are increasing, and in addition, countries are being disciplined and threatened with sanctions."[32] Dziambor also denounced the EU, calling its regulations absurd.[29]
Esta alianza atrajo asimismo a cierto número de políticos de otras formaciones y se vio impulsada por diputados que se separaron de Acuerdo, entre otros: Artur Dziambor, el presidente del Partido de la Libertad, un partido de derecha libertaria, y el fundador y expresidente de Modern, Ryszard Petru. Aunque pone el acento en exigencias económicas de libre mercado, su electorado y su militancia defienden posiciones diversas y contradictorias en estas cuestiones y en otros asuntos clave, como el derecho al aborto.[This alliance also attracted a number of politicians from other parties and was driven by MPs who split from Agreement, including Artur Dziambor, the leader of the Freedom Party, a right-wing libertarian party, and Ryszard Petru, the founder and former leader of Modern. Although it emphasises free market economic demands, its electorate and membership hold diverse and contradictory positions on these issues and other key issues, such as abortion rights.]
However, with support declining, Holownia formed the Third Way coalition with the PSL. This alliance also brought together a number of politicians from other formations and was boosted by, among others, MPs who split from Agreement; Artur Dziambor, the chairman of the right-libertarian Freedom Party; and the founder and former chairman of Modern, Ryszard Petru.
Konfederację tworzą cztery ugrupowania. To Ruch Narodowy, Konfederacja Korony Polskiej Grzegorza Brauna i dwie kłócące się ze sobą partie wolnorynkowe: Nowa Nadzieja (dawniej KORWiN Janusza Korwin-Mikkego) i Wolnościowcy (uciekinierzy z KORWiNA).[The Confederation consists of four groups. These are the National Movement, Grzegorz Braun's Confederation of the Polish Crown, and two conflicting free-market fundamentalist parties: New Hope (formerly Janusz Korwin-Mikke's KORWiN) and the Libertarians (defectors from KORWiN).]
A prawda jest taka, że kurczący się w ostatnim czasie konfederacki elektorat tworzą dzisiaj w zdecydowanej większości libertariańscy Wolnościowcy wychowani na JKM.[The truth is, the recently shrinking electorate of the Confederation is now made up mostly of libertarian Wolnościowcy raised on JKM.]
