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Democratic Left Association
The Democratic Left Association (Polish: Stowarzyszenie Lewicy Demokratycznej, SLD) is a Polish political association created by the former New Left members who left the coalition and parliamentary group of The Left after a conflict with the coalition's leadership. The association was formed with the intention to continue the legacy of the Democratic Left Alliance, while maintaining close ties with New Left's ideological rivals — the Labour Union. Jerzy Teichert, a former local activist and a former member of SLD was selected as the president of the association, while Robert Kwiatkowski, an MP elected on the list of The Left, became the vice-president. The party seeks to represent an alternative to "the western left" and the "rainbow flag", and dismisses other left-wing parties for committing to social progressivism on issues like LGBT and abortion, as well as immigration.
The party first started as a parliamentary group, the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Left (Polish: Koło Parlamentarne Lewicy Demokratycznej) that was formed by Robert Kwiatkowski, Andrzej Rozenek, its chairwoman Joanna Senyszyn, and the deputy speaker of the Senate Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka, who, after leaving New Left, formed the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) parliamentary group from 14 December 2021 to 6 February 2023 (together with the party's chairman, senator Wojciech Konieczny), and in 2022 they established the Democratic Left Association, following in the tradition of the Democratic Left Alliance (which ceased to exist as a party in 2021, merging with Wiosna to form Nowa Lewica). When the Polish Socialist Party chapter was founded in 2021, Andrzej Rozenek and Joanna Senyszyn became members of the party. They left PPS in August 2023.
The party dates back to the conflict within the Democratic Left Alliance in 2021. The party's leader, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, was increasingly opposed by the regional branches of the party for his cooperation with Law and Justice as well as his talks with the social liberal party Wiosna for a merger. Most members of the Democratic Left Alliance opposed this decision, and when Czarzasty called for a party convention to announce the merger, the regional branches voted the convention down. Ultimately, the merger still took place despite the opposition. Democratic Left Alliance dissolved itself in 2021 to become the New Left together with Wiosna.
The MPs that came to create the Democratic Left Association were known as the 'reformist' faction within the SLD. They opposed Czarzasty's leadership and his decision to merge Wiosna, which Czarzasty had been pursuing since 2019. Between July and September 2021, Czarzasty sought to suppress this faction, given that it was blocking the merger with Wiosna. The reformist faction was also supported by influential figures within the SLD, such as former prime minister Leszek Miller and former president Aleksander Kwaśniewski, who both criticized Czarzasty's leadership. Consequently, Czarzasty suspended Tomasz Trela, Andrzej Rozenek, Bogusław Wontor and Joanna Senyszyn from the party. Czarzasty also had an open rivalry with Krzysztof Podgórski and Robert Kwiatkowski (who became the leader of Democratic Left Association).
According to Przegląd, Czarzasty had to force the merger despite the opposition within the party, writing: "SLD activists who did not agree to the merger of the SLD with Wiosna were "suspended, thrown out or were not allowed into the new party's headquarters". The Warsaw Council of the SLD, which was against it, was simply dissolved. As a result, several hundred SLD activists from Warsaw alone surrendered their party cards." In December 2021, the MPs of the Democratic Left Alliance who protested the decision entered the Polish Socialist Party and formed their own parliamentary group that came to be the Democratic Left Association. While formally representing the Polish Socialist Party, the parliamentary group was increasingly autonomous.
The Democratic Left Association was registered on 7 March 2022. Jerzy Teichert became its chairman and MP Robert Kwiatkowski its secretary general. The party was founded by the MPs who were forming the parliamentary circle of the Polish Socialist Party since December 2021. Its co-founder was Joanna Senyszyn, the vice-chair of the Polish Socialist Party's Supreme Council. Its activities were inaugurated on 2 June 2022. It presented itself as a "democratic association for truly leftist ideals" and denounced the leader of Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) Włodzimierz Czarzasty for his decision to dissolve the party and merge with Wiosna to form the New Left. The Democratic Left Association noted that the SLD had 24,000 members and had existed for 20 years, whereas Wiosna was a recent party that had about 500 members, and yet it nevertheless forced SLD to compromise its ideals. It accused Czarzasty of "lack of democracy, tyranny, unfair division of power" within the SLD.
After 23 days, the party signed, similarly to the PPS, a cooperation agreement ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections together with Labour Union, Social Democracy of Poland, Freedom and Equality, as well as, among others, the association Working People's Movement and the activists of the former party Feminist Initiative, advocating for a ‘broad electoral agreement of the democratic opposition’. The Democratic Left Association includes, among others, former MP Zbyszek Zaborowski. and a councillor of the Lower Silesian Regional Assembly, former senator Mirosław Lubiński.
At the time, the Democratic Left Association also considered a merger with Labour Union in order to revive the historical Democratic Left Alliance – Labour Union coalition. The party was later joined by the MEP and former Prime Minister Leszek Miller and Bogusław Wontor. In November 2022, Democratic Left Association organized a 20th anniversary of the Democratic Left Alliance – Labour Union together with the leading Labour Union and Democratic Left Alliance politicians of the 2000s, such as Marek Pol, Waldemar Witkowski and Leszek Miller. Here the party was also described by the media as a danger to the New Left from the [further] left.
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Democratic Left Association
The Democratic Left Association (Polish: Stowarzyszenie Lewicy Demokratycznej, SLD) is a Polish political association created by the former New Left members who left the coalition and parliamentary group of The Left after a conflict with the coalition's leadership. The association was formed with the intention to continue the legacy of the Democratic Left Alliance, while maintaining close ties with New Left's ideological rivals — the Labour Union. Jerzy Teichert, a former local activist and a former member of SLD was selected as the president of the association, while Robert Kwiatkowski, an MP elected on the list of The Left, became the vice-president. The party seeks to represent an alternative to "the western left" and the "rainbow flag", and dismisses other left-wing parties for committing to social progressivism on issues like LGBT and abortion, as well as immigration.
The party first started as a parliamentary group, the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Left (Polish: Koło Parlamentarne Lewicy Demokratycznej) that was formed by Robert Kwiatkowski, Andrzej Rozenek, its chairwoman Joanna Senyszyn, and the deputy speaker of the Senate Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka, who, after leaving New Left, formed the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) parliamentary group from 14 December 2021 to 6 February 2023 (together with the party's chairman, senator Wojciech Konieczny), and in 2022 they established the Democratic Left Association, following in the tradition of the Democratic Left Alliance (which ceased to exist as a party in 2021, merging with Wiosna to form Nowa Lewica). When the Polish Socialist Party chapter was founded in 2021, Andrzej Rozenek and Joanna Senyszyn became members of the party. They left PPS in August 2023.
The party dates back to the conflict within the Democratic Left Alliance in 2021. The party's leader, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, was increasingly opposed by the regional branches of the party for his cooperation with Law and Justice as well as his talks with the social liberal party Wiosna for a merger. Most members of the Democratic Left Alliance opposed this decision, and when Czarzasty called for a party convention to announce the merger, the regional branches voted the convention down. Ultimately, the merger still took place despite the opposition. Democratic Left Alliance dissolved itself in 2021 to become the New Left together with Wiosna.
The MPs that came to create the Democratic Left Association were known as the 'reformist' faction within the SLD. They opposed Czarzasty's leadership and his decision to merge Wiosna, which Czarzasty had been pursuing since 2019. Between July and September 2021, Czarzasty sought to suppress this faction, given that it was blocking the merger with Wiosna. The reformist faction was also supported by influential figures within the SLD, such as former prime minister Leszek Miller and former president Aleksander Kwaśniewski, who both criticized Czarzasty's leadership. Consequently, Czarzasty suspended Tomasz Trela, Andrzej Rozenek, Bogusław Wontor and Joanna Senyszyn from the party. Czarzasty also had an open rivalry with Krzysztof Podgórski and Robert Kwiatkowski (who became the leader of Democratic Left Association).
According to Przegląd, Czarzasty had to force the merger despite the opposition within the party, writing: "SLD activists who did not agree to the merger of the SLD with Wiosna were "suspended, thrown out or were not allowed into the new party's headquarters". The Warsaw Council of the SLD, which was against it, was simply dissolved. As a result, several hundred SLD activists from Warsaw alone surrendered their party cards." In December 2021, the MPs of the Democratic Left Alliance who protested the decision entered the Polish Socialist Party and formed their own parliamentary group that came to be the Democratic Left Association. While formally representing the Polish Socialist Party, the parliamentary group was increasingly autonomous.
The Democratic Left Association was registered on 7 March 2022. Jerzy Teichert became its chairman and MP Robert Kwiatkowski its secretary general. The party was founded by the MPs who were forming the parliamentary circle of the Polish Socialist Party since December 2021. Its co-founder was Joanna Senyszyn, the vice-chair of the Polish Socialist Party's Supreme Council. Its activities were inaugurated on 2 June 2022. It presented itself as a "democratic association for truly leftist ideals" and denounced the leader of Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) Włodzimierz Czarzasty for his decision to dissolve the party and merge with Wiosna to form the New Left. The Democratic Left Association noted that the SLD had 24,000 members and had existed for 20 years, whereas Wiosna was a recent party that had about 500 members, and yet it nevertheless forced SLD to compromise its ideals. It accused Czarzasty of "lack of democracy, tyranny, unfair division of power" within the SLD.
After 23 days, the party signed, similarly to the PPS, a cooperation agreement ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections together with Labour Union, Social Democracy of Poland, Freedom and Equality, as well as, among others, the association Working People's Movement and the activists of the former party Feminist Initiative, advocating for a ‘broad electoral agreement of the democratic opposition’. The Democratic Left Association includes, among others, former MP Zbyszek Zaborowski. and a councillor of the Lower Silesian Regional Assembly, former senator Mirosław Lubiński.
At the time, the Democratic Left Association also considered a merger with Labour Union in order to revive the historical Democratic Left Alliance – Labour Union coalition. The party was later joined by the MEP and former Prime Minister Leszek Miller and Bogusław Wontor. In November 2022, Democratic Left Association organized a 20th anniversary of the Democratic Left Alliance – Labour Union together with the leading Labour Union and Democratic Left Alliance politicians of the 2000s, such as Marek Pol, Waldemar Witkowski and Leszek Miller. Here the party was also described by the media as a danger to the New Left from the [further] left.