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Sovereign Poland
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Sovereign Poland (Polish: Suwerenna Polska, SP), also known as United Poland[15] (Polish: Solidarna Polska; alternatively translated to Solidarity Poland),[18] until 2023, was a Catholic-nationalist political party in Poland led by Zbigniew Ziobro. It was founded in 2012, as the Catholic-nationalist split from the Law and Justice, with whom they later formed the United Right alliance in 2014. Sovereign Poland merged with Law and Justice on 12 October 2024.
Ideology
[edit]The party has been described as national-conservative,[19] nationalist,[2] and Catholic-nationalist.[22] It was also staunchly socially conservative.[23] It was opposed to abortion and euthanasia, and supported extending maternity leave to nine months.[24] It was eurosceptic,[12][25] Anti-LGBT,[26] and its staunch opposition to same-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 as right-wing populist mainly due to their opposition to immigration.[28] It was the most anti-EU party in the United Right coalition.[7] Between 2012 and 2021 it was described as right-wing[8] and far-right,[9] with a centre-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, including supermarkets, and backs higher taxes on those who earn over 10,000 złotych (€2,400) a month.[24]
During the tenure of then-United Poland leader Zbigniew Ziobro as Minister of Justice, Ziobro was the architect of judicial reforms to the Constitutional Tribunal, which resulted in the Polish Constitutional Tribunal crisis.[30] Law and Justice Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has blamed United Poland for failures associated with these reforms, while Ziobro has criticised Law and Justice and President Andrzej Duda for blocking elements of the reform package.[31]
In 2022, United Poland called for tougher blasphemy laws in Poland, such as three-year jail terms for insulting church or interrupting Mass.[32]
History
[edit]After Ziobro and fellow MEPs Tadeusz Cymański and Jacek Kurski were ejected from PiS for disloyalty on 4 November 2011,[24] Ziobro's supporters within PiS formed a new group in the Sejm.[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 by Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Zbigniew Ziobro, who led the party's conservative Catholic-nationalist faction.[35]
In 2012, their MEPs left the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) to join the Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group in opposition to the ECR's more liberal stance on gay marriage, its support for the EU's climate change policy, and its advocacy of cuts to the Common 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 the United Right it would gain 5.4% votes.[36]
Sovereign Poland merged with Law and Justice on 12 October 2024 during PiS congress in Przysucha,[37] despite concerns from some high-ranking members of both parties.[40]
Representatives
[edit]Leadership
[edit]Leader:
Vice-Leaders:
Secretary:
Chairman of the General Council:
Members of the Sejm
[edit]- Mariusz Kałużny (5 - Toruń)
- Jan Kanthak (6 - Lublin)
- Marcin Romanowski (7 - Chełm)
- Tadeusz Woźniak (11 – Sieradz)
- Edward Siarka (14 - Nowy Sącz)
- Norbert Kaczmarczyk (15 - Tarnów)
- Jacek Ozdoba (16 - Płock)
- Sebastian Kaleta (19 - Warsaw I)
- Janusz Kowalski (21 - Opole)
- Maria Kurowska (22 - Krosno)
- Piotr Uruski (22 - Krosno)
- Marcin Warchoł (23 - Rzeszów)
- Zbigniew Ziobro (23 - Rzeszów)
- Sebastian Łukaszewicz (24 - Białystok)
- Michał Woś (30 - Bielsko-Biała II)
- Michał Wójcik (31 - Katowice II)
- Mariusz Gosek (33 - Kielce)
- Dariusz Matecki (41 - Szczecin)
Member of the Senate
[edit]- Mieczysław Golba (Senate Constituency no. 58)
Members of the European Parliament
[edit]Election results
[edit]Presidential
[edit]| Election | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | ||
| 2015 | Supported Andrzej Duda | 5,179,092 | 34.8 (#1) | 8,719,281 | 51.5 (#1) |
| 2020 | Supported Andrzej Duda | 8,450,513 | 43.50 (#1) | 10,440,648 | 51.03% (#1) |
Sejm
[edit]| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Zbigniew Ziobro | 5,711,687 [a] | 37.6 [b] (#1) | 8 / 460
|
New | PiS |
| As part of the United Right coalition, that won 235 seats in total.[41] | ||||||
| 2019 | Zbigniew Ziobro | 8,051,935 [c] | 43.6 [d] (#1) | 10 / 460
|
PiS | |
| As part of the United Right coalition, that won 235 seats in total. | ||||||
| 2023 | Zbigniew Ziobro | 7,640,854 [e] | 35.4 [f] (#1) | 18 / 460
|
KO–PL2050–KP–NL | |
| As part of the United Right coalition, that won 194 seats in total. | ||||||
Senate
[edit]| Election | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2 / 100
|
New |
| As part of the United Right coalition, that won 61 seats in total. | ||
| 2019 | 2 / 100
|
|
| As part of the United Right coalition, that won 48 seats in total. | ||
| 2023 | 1 / 100
|
|
| As part of the United Right coalition, that won 34 seats in total. | ||
European Parliament
[edit]| 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
|
ECR | |
| As part of the United Right coalition, that won 27 seats in total. | ||||||
| 2024 | Zbigniew Ziobro | 4,253,169 [i] | 36.16 (#2) [j] | 2 / 53
|
ECR | |
| As part of the United Right coalition, that won 20 seats in total. | ||||||
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Ataki na kościoły. Solidarna Polska apeluje o poparcie ustawy "w obronie chrześcijan"" (in Polish). Do Rzeczy. 7 March 2023. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ a b Pankowski, Rafal (2012). "Right-Wing Extremism in Poland" (PDF). Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
Solidarity Poland (Solidarna Polska, SP) absorbed a big portion of the radical nationalist ideology
- ^ a b Napieralski, Bartosz (2017). Political Catholicism and Euroscepticism. Routledge.
Both splinter parties remained socially conservative
- ^ a b "Polish doctors torn over mental health as grounds to bypass near-total abortion ban". Reuters. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Poland's fragmented opposition lets the governing party run wild". The Economist. 29 April 2021. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ [3][4][5]
- ^ a b Kristijan Kotarski; Philip Wetzel; Ted Urho; Dániel Mikecz; Karolina Mickutė; Ernestas Einoris; Milosz Hodun; Ricardo Silvestre; Martin Vlachynsky. Gian Marco Bovenzi; Olga Łabendowicz (eds.). NextGenerationEU: Taking Stock (PDF). European Liberal Forum. p. 91. ISBN 978-2-39067-040-7.
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.
- ^ a b
- Freedom in the World 2015. Freedom House. Rowman & Littlefield. 2015. p. 544.
- "The rise of the far-right in Poland: No more Eurovision, vegetarians or cyclists". International Business Times. 13 January 2016.
- "Polish political crisis over EU pandemic recovery fund". POLITICO. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- "Poland's parliament moves to restore IVF funding". POLITICO. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ a b
- "Nigel Farage heads for row over Ukip's anti-gay allies". The Guardian. 15 December 2012.
- Mendel-Nykorowycz, Andrzej (8 January 2021). "Why Poland threatened to veto the EU recovery fund – European Council on Foreign Relations". ECFR. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- "Why Poland's "win" on the EU climate budget rings hollow". New Statesman. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- "Money for Nothing? PiS Appears Ready to Call EU's Bluff Over Recovery Funds Standoff [EXCLUSIVE]". gazetapl. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- "Rule of law: EU reprimands Poland and Hungary". dw.com. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- "Polish former deputy justice minister detained for misuse of public funds". POLITICO. 15 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- Bergmann, Max; Toygür, Ilke; Svendsen, Otto (16 February 2023). "A Continent Forged in Crisis: Assessing Europe One Year into the War". Center for Strategic and International Studies.
- ^ a b
- Chodakiewicz, Marek (29 November 2023). "Law and Justice could easily have secured a third term in Poland. Here is how". Brussels Signal.
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.
- Potocka, Julia (14 June 2013). "Polish MEP loses his immunity in traffic case". Euractiv.
He also stressed that his political party, the centre-right Solidarity Poland, is against MEPs being granted immunity.
- "Liderzy centroprawicy popierają Kotowskiego". eostroleka.pl (in Polish). 25 November 2014.
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.
- Chodakiewicz, Marek (29 November 2023). "Law and Justice could easily have secured a third term in Poland. Here is how". Brussels Signal.
- ^ a b Nelsen, Brent F.; Guth, James L. (2015). Religion and the Struggle for European Union: Confessional Culture and the Limits of Integration. Georgetown University Press.
- ^ a b Stoyanov, Dragomir (2017). Julie Hassing Nielsen; Mark N. Franklin (eds.). Central and East European Euroscepticism in 2014: Domestic Politics Matter!. The Eurosceptic 2014 European Parliament Elections: Second Order or Second Rate?. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 114.
- ^ Lettau, Felix (21 February 2014). "Poland". Project for Democratic Union.
- ^ Daniel, William T. (2015). Career Behaviour and the European Parliament: All Roads Lead Through Brussels?. Oxford University Press. p. 149.
- ^ [11][12][13][14]
- ^ Jaskiernia, Jerzy (2016). Donatella M. Viola (ed.). Poland. Routledge.
- ^ Stępińska, Agnieszka (2017). Ruxandra Boicu; et al. (eds.). Political Advertising During the 2014 Polish EU Parliamentary Election Campaign. Political Communication and European Parliamentary Elections in Times of Crisis. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 14, 18–21.
- ^ [16][17]
- ^ Krzypinski, Dariusz (2017). "Patterns of Recruitment of Polish Candidates in the 2014 European Parliament Elections". In Ruxandra Boicu; et al. (eds.). Political Communication and European Parliamentary Elections in Times of Crisis. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 245.
- ^ Tidey, Alice (19 August 2020). "Poland to give money to "LGBT free" towns denied EU funding". euronews. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Burdeau, Cain (12 August 2021). "Media, Holocaust laws in Poland draw US condemnation". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ [11][20][21]
- ^ [3][5][4]
- ^ a b c d "New Polish conservative party launched". TheNews.pl. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ "Polish president says changes needed to judges' disciplinary system". Reuters. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Tęczowe opaski na "Sylwestrze Marzeń" dzielą PiS i Solidarną Polskę. Co z 2 mld zł z budżetu państwa dla TVP?". www.wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). 3 January 2023. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ a b Brand, Constant (2 January 2012). "Polish MEPs leave ECR group". European Voice. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ Zagorski, Piotr; Santana, Andres (25 August 2018). Explaining Support for Right-Wing Populist Parties in Central and Eastern Europe. ECPR General Conference. Hamburg. p. 26.
- ^ "SolROOF - Zintegrowany Dach Fotowoltaiczny Solarny - SteelProfil - Najtańsze Płyty Warstwowe, Blachy Trapezowe, Płyty PIR i XPS". Archived from the original on 24 December 2013.
- ^ "Crisis erupts as Warsaw court declares Polish constitution trumps EU law". Courthouse News. 7 October 2021.
- ^ "Judicial reforms "haven't turned out well", says Poland's PM, blaming justice minister". Notes from Poland. 17 May 2023.
- ^ "Polish coalition party proposes three-year jail terms for insulting church or interrupting mass". 14 April 2022.
- ^ "Conservative MPs form 'Poland United' breakaway group after dismissals". TheNews.pl. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ "MPs axed by Law and Justice opposition". TheNews.pl. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ "Party members 'furious' following conservative defeat". TheNews.pl. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ "Ziobro's party would win seats if elections were held - daily".
- ^ "PiS wchłonie koalicjanta. "Dogadane"". Business Insider Polska (in Polish). 5 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ "Dworczyk: jestem przeciwnikiem połączenia PiS z Suwerenną Polską". TVN24 (in Polish). 30 September 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ Długosz, Dominika (21 September 2024). ""Dlaczego im się tak śpieszy?". Suwerenna Polska zaczęła się bać PiS". Newsweek (in Polish). Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ [38][39]
- ^ Prawapolityka.pl Energetyka, samorządy, demografia – WYWIAD z dr Janem Klawiterem http://prawapolityka.pl/2015/11/energetyka-samorzady-demografia-wywiad-z-dr-janem-klawiterem/
External links
[edit]- (in Polish) United Poland official website
Sovereign Poland
View on GrokipediaHistory
Formation and split from Law and Justice (2012)
Sovereign Poland traces its origins to a factional dispute within the Law and Justice (PiS) party following PiS's defeat in the October 2011 parliamentary elections, where internal critics accused PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński of insufficient radicalism in pursuing anti-corruption reforms and defending Polish sovereignty against European Union pressures.[4] On November 4, 2011, Zbigniew Ziobro, along with European Parliament members Tadeusz Cymański and Jacek Kurski, were expelled from PiS for disloyalty after forming a parliamentary study group to push for stricter accountability measures and a harder line on national identity issues.[4] This expulsion crystallized the divide, with Ziobro's supporters viewing PiS as drifting toward moderation to regain broader electoral appeal, diluting commitments to Catholic traditionalism and resistance to supranational influences.[1] The party was formally established in 2012 as Solidarna Polska (Solidarity Poland), initially under Ziobro's leadership, positioning itself as a vehicle for unyielding enforcement of conservative values and judicial overhaul to combat perceived elite corruption entrenched since Poland's post-communist transition.[4] Key figures included Ziobro, a former justice minister known for aggressive anti-corruption probes, and allies like Krystyna Pawłowicz, who emphasized defense of family structures and cultural sovereignty against liberal encroachments.[1] The split reflected deeper tensions over PiS's post-2011 strategy, with breakaways arguing that concessions to centrist voters undermined first-principles adherence to Polish Catholic heritage and autonomy from Brussels-driven policies.[4] From inception, the new entity faced organizational hurdles, including expulsion of additional PiS MPs who joined the group, resulting in diminished resources and polling below 5%—insufficient for independent Sejm representation in subsequent cycles without alliances.[4] Despite these setbacks, the formation underscored a commitment to ideological purity over pragmatic coalition-building, prioritizing demands for lustration of former communist networks and robust opposition to EU federalism as core to Polish statehood.[1] The party's early platform critiqued PiS for timidity in confronting systemic graft, framing the rupture as essential to restoring causal accountability in governance rather than electoral expediency.[4]Realignment and United Right alliance (2013–2015)
Following the 2012 schism from Law and Justice (PiS), where Solidarna Polska (SP, later renamed Suwerenna Polska) emerged as a more hardline Catholic-nationalist faction led by Zbigniew Ziobro, initial hostilities subsided amid shared critiques of the ruling Civic Platform-Polish People's Party (PO-PSL) coalition's pro-EU integration agenda and perceived erosion of traditional values. By early 2013, informal cooperation materialized through coordinated parliamentary opposition, including joint resistance to PO-PSL initiatives on deeper European Union federalism and secular reforms, such as expansions in civil unions and environmental regulations viewed as infringing national sovereignty.[7] This pragmatic realignment reflected mutual recognition that fragmentation diluted conservative electoral strength, with SP's standalone polling stagnant at 2-4% while PiS hovered around 25-30%, per contemporaneous surveys. The process escalated in 2014, as leaders Jarosław Kaczyński (PiS), Ziobro (SP), and Jarosław Gowin (Polska Razem) negotiated to consolidate the right-wing vote ahead of European Parliament elections. On July 19, 2014, the parties formalized a political agreement establishing a unified electoral framework, whereby SP and Polska Razem candidates would contest under PiS lists in exchange for guaranteed parliamentary seats and policy influence, laying the groundwork for the broader United Right (Zjednoczona Prawica) alliance.[8] This pact emphasized opposition to PO-PSL's handling of EU-driven fiscal austerity and cultural liberalization, positioning the alliance as a bulwark for Polish sovereignty. Post-agreement polling reflected causal gains from unity, with combined conservative support rising to 38% in late 2014 aggregates, enabling strategic resource pooling and voter mobilization that proved pivotal for the 2015 parliamentary breakthrough.[9] The alliance's formation underscored a calculated shift from intra-right rivalry to anti-establishment cohesion, altering Poland's political landscape by marginalizing splinter groups and amplifying nationalist messaging.Participation in government coalition (2015–2023)
In the 2015 Polish parliamentary elections held on October 25, Sovereign Poland (SP) allied with Law and Justice (PiS) under the United Right banner, contributing to the coalition's majority with SP securing five Sejm seats through the joint list.[1] This enabled SP's integration into the PiS-led government formed on November 16, 2015, where party leader Zbigniew Ziobro assumed the role of Minister of Justice, a position he held continuously until December 2023 across cabinets led by Beata Szydło, Mateusz Morawiecki, and briefly others.[10] As junior partner, SP exerted targeted influence primarily via the Justice Ministry, advocating for prosecutorial reforms that centralized authority under the minister—also serving as Prosecutor General—to enhance independence from prior political influences and prioritize national legal sovereignty over external pressures.[11] SP's hardline positions reinforced the coalition's emphasis on sovereignty, supporting policies that elevated defense spending from 1.85% of GDP in 2015 to over 2% by 2016, meeting NATO commitments ahead of schedule and tripling absolute expenditures to approximately $27 billion by 2023 amid regional threats.[12] [13] This fiscal prioritization, aligned with SP's security-focused nationalism, contrasted with EU critiques framing such autonomy as "illiberal," yet empirically bolstered Poland's military posture without derailing economic growth, as GDP per capita rose 40% in real terms during the period. SP also backed PiS's social policies, including the Family 500+ child benefit introduced in 2016, which provided 500 złoty monthly per child and correlated with a temporary 1.5 percentage point rise in birth rates, lifting the total fertility rate from 1.29 in 2015 to 1.45 in 2017 before stabilizing.[14] Throughout the coalition, SP's insistence on uncompromising stances—such as rejecting EU recovery fund concessions tied to judicial concessions—occasionally strained relations with PiS moderates, exemplified by 2021 tensions over abortion law compromises and EU negotiations, where SP threatened withdrawal to enforce stricter sovereignty safeguards.[15] These dynamics causally fortified the United Right's electoral base among rural and conservative voters wary of supranational overreach, countering mainstream media and Brussels narratives of democratic backsliding by delivering tangible outcomes like reduced child poverty (from 24% to 4% for families with children) and heightened national resilience. The partnership endured until the October 2023 elections, where United Right's plurality failed to form a government, ending SP's ministerial roles.[16]Opposition role and rebranding (2023–present)
Following the Law and Justice (PiS)-led United Right alliance's defeat in the October 15, 2023, parliamentary elections, where it secured 194 Sejm seats but was outmaneuvered in coalition formation by Donald Tusk's centrist bloc, Sovereign Poland transitioned to opposition status alongside its allies. The party retained its seven Sejm deputies from the joint electoral list, maintaining a distinct voice within the right-wing bloc despite the government's shift toward pro-EU policies.[17] The rebranding from United Poland to Sovereign Poland, announced on May 4, 2023, ahead of the elections, aimed to accentuate the party's nationalist priorities and commitment to shielding Polish sovereignty from supranational encroachments and perceived foreign influences, including what it described as collaboration with German-led EU agendas. Led by former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, the party framed this shift as a "firm no" to policies subordinating national interests, signaling a harder line on issues like judicial independence and border security even as it campaigned within the broader coalition.[3] In opposition, Sovereign Poland has lambasted Tusk's administration for advancing EU-aligned judicial reforms and media regulations, which it contends erode national autonomy and enable left-liberal dominance over institutions previously reformed to align with democratic accountability. The party has positioned these critiques as defenses against sovereignty loss, particularly in light of Tusk's efforts to reverse PiS-era changes to the judiciary and public broadcasting, measures the opposition views as essential counters to entrenched post-communist influences rather than threats to rule of law as portrayed in mainstream EU narratives.[18][19] During the 2025 presidential election, Sovereign Poland aligned with PiS in supporting Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian who secured victory in the June 1 runoff with 50.89% of the vote against Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, bolstering the opposition's leverage through presidential veto powers against perceived overreaches in cultural, media, and judicial spheres. This outcome reinforced the party's role in resisting what it terms liberal encroachments, amid ongoing tensions with the Tusk government over constitutional sovereignty. On October 9, 2024, Sovereign Poland announced its merger with PiS, consolidating resources to sustain a unified front in parliament and future electoral battles while preserving its emphasis on Catholic-nationalist principles.[20][1]Ideology and Political Positions
Nationalist and Catholic conservatism
Sovereign Poland espouses Catholic nationalism as its ideological cornerstone, positing Christianity—particularly Catholicism—as the enduring foundation of Polish civilizational identity and resilience against secular globalist influences that erode traditional values. The party maintains that national sovereignty demands fidelity to Catholic moral absolutes, with the nation-state functioning as the paramount locus of loyalty over supranational entities like the European Union, which it views as vectors for cultural dilution. This stance derives causal reasoning from Poland's empirical history of survival: during the partitions (1772–1795) and World War II occupations, the Catholic Church empirically sustained Polish linguistic, cultural, and spiritual cohesion amid existential threats from imperial powers, preventing assimilation and fostering underground resistance networks.[21][22] Central to this conservatism is an uncompromising defense of the family as society's irreducible unit, grounded in natural law and scriptural precepts. Sovereign Poland opposes abortion in all circumstances, framing it as a direct assault on human dignity and the sanctity of life from conception, consistent with Catholic teaching and reinforced by the party's support for the 2020 Constitutional Tribunal decision that invalidated fetal anomaly exceptions, reducing legal abortions to cases of maternal life endangerment or rape. Likewise, it rejects LGBTQ+ advocacy as ideologically driven efforts to redefine marriage and parenthood, arguing these undermine demographic stability and moral order, with party leader Zbigniew Ziobro emphasizing that "there is no sovereignty without values, without God."[23][24] Distinguishing itself from Law and Justice (PiS), Sovereign Poland embodies a purer iteration of Catholic-nationalist orthodoxy, exhibiting greater reluctance to dilute moral imperatives for coalition expediency. While PiS advanced restrictive abortion measures during its governance, Sovereign Poland has positioned itself as a vanguard against any perceived retreats, critiquing insufficient protections for life amid post-2023 electoral shifts toward liberalization and prioritizing ethical absolutism over tactical alliances that might concede ground to progressive agendas. This rigidity stems from the party's 2012 origins as a PiS splinter, driven by demands for unyielding adherence to conservative principles amid perceived dilutions in the larger movement.[25]Sovereignty and Euroscepticism
Sovereign Poland (SP) positions itself as a defender of national sovereignty within the European Union, critiquing federalist tendencies as erosive to member states' autonomy in areas like justice, security, and cultural policy. The party advocates for a model of selective cooperation, emphasizing economic benefits while rejecting supranational mandates that override Polish constitutional primacy. This stance frames EU integration beyond the single market as "ideological imperialism," particularly in imposing progressive norms on migration, environmental policy, and judicial independence.[26] SP has vocally opposed EU migration policies perceived as threats to border sovereignty, notably rejecting mandatory relocation quotas during the 2015 migrant crisis, when the European Commission proposed distributing over 160,000 asylum seekers across member states, including a quota of 6,200 for Poland. Party leaders, aligned with the Law and Justice (PiS) coalition, argued that such mechanisms prioritize bureaucratic uniformity over national security assessments, citing risks of cultural incompatibility and welfare strain. This resistance persisted in critiques of the 2024 EU Migration Pact, which SP views as a continuation of coercive federalism despite opt-out provisions secured by Poland.[27][28] On climate policy, SP criticizes the European Green Deal as disproportionately burdensome for Poland's coal-dependent energy sector, estimating compliance costs at up to 1 trillion zloty (approximately €230 billion) by 2050, with potential job losses exceeding 100,000 in mining regions. The party contends that the Deal's emissions targets and carbon border taxes undermine energy sovereignty, favoring ideological goals over pragmatic national needs, and has supported PiS-led legal challenges to EU climate regulations as infringing on subsidiarity principles.[29] Regarding rule-of-law conditionality, SP denounces Article 7 proceedings initiated against Poland in December 2017 as punitive overreach, portraying them as a mechanism for EU elites to enforce ideological conformity rather than genuine legal concerns. The procedure, which risked suspending Poland's voting rights, was triggered by judicial reforms under PiS-SP governance, which the party defends as restorations of democratic accountability against prior post-communist influences. Critics from left-leaning institutions label this Euroscepticism as isolationist, yet empirical data counters such claims: Poland remained the EU's largest net budget recipient under PiS-SP rule, receiving net transfers of €127 billion from 2014 to 2020, fueling GDP growth averaging 4% annually while asserting vetoes on federalist expansions.[30][31][32]Social and family policies
Sovereign Poland emphasizes the protection of traditional family structures as essential to national stability and demographic vitality, prioritizing policies that incentivize marriage, childbirth, and parental responsibility over individualistic state interventions. Party members, including figures from the Justice Ministry under leader Zbigniew Ziobro, have identified family safeguarding as a core objective, linking it to broader efforts against cultural shifts perceived as undermining marital and parental roles.[33] To address Poland's acute fertility crisis, with the total fertility rate dropping to 1.16 births per woman in 2023, the party backs pro-natalist initiatives such as the Family 500+ program, which delivers monthly cash benefits of 500 złoty per child regardless of income, starting from the second child in 2016 and later universalized. This policy correlated with a short-term uptick in birth probability by 1.5 percentage points annually and a marked decline in child poverty, reducing absolute rates from 9.0% to 4.7% and relative rates from 20.6% to 15.3% within the first year of implementation.[34][14][35] Such measures reflect an empirical focus on financial relief for families to offset economic barriers to reproduction, rather than expansive welfare expansions that might disincentivize work.[36] The party opposes the promotion of gender ideology in education and public policy, viewing it as antithetical to biological realities and family cohesion, and has committed to legislative barriers against its institutionalization, including restrictions on curricula that challenge traditional sex roles. Recent coalition pacts reaffirm vows to "combat gender ideology" and uphold marriage as a union between man and woman, excluding same-sex partnerships or adoptions. Critics, often from progressive advocacy groups, decry these stances as theocratic overreach that stifles personal freedoms, yet empirical outcomes like sustained poverty reductions underscore the policies' effectiveness in bolstering family economic security without equivalent rises in dependency.[37][38]Economic and security stances
Sovereign Poland promotes economic interventionism in strategic sectors to ensure national resilience, favoring protectionist policies in agriculture and energy that prioritize domestic production over unfettered EU-driven liberalization. The party opposes reliance on foreign energy suppliers, advocating for the continued use of Polish coal as a reliable and affordable domestic resource to maintain energy independence amid geopolitical risks.[39] This stance reflects skepticism toward full-market reforms that could expose key industries to dominance by Western corporations or Russian influence, emphasizing state oversight to protect sovereignty in vital areas like food security and power generation.[39] As part of the United Right coalition from 2015 to 2023, Sovereign Poland supported governance credited with delivering average annual GDP growth of around 4% from 2015 to 2019, a period marked by low unemployment reaching 3.9% in 2018 and sustained expansion attributed to policy stability under conservative leadership rather than liberal volatility.[40] The party's economic vision aligns with solidary principles, intervening to shield Polish farmers from EU agricultural directives perceived as undermining local competitiveness, such as elements of the Green Deal that impose emission reductions potentially favoring imports over national output.[41] On security, Sovereign Poland prioritizes military self-reliance and robust deterrence against Russian aggression, endorsing increased defense spending and fortifications along eastern borders to counter hybrid threats. Following the 2021 migrant crisis weaponized by Belarus as a pressure tactic backed by Moscow, the party backed the rapid construction of physical barriers, including a 186-kilometer wall and anti-drone systems, completed by mid-2022 to secure the EU's external frontier.[42] While supportive of NATO's collective defense, Sovereign Poland expresses reservations about alliance policies that might dilute Article 5 commitments through burden-sharing imbalances or reduced emphasis on eastern flank hardening, insisting on Polish-led enhancements to national capabilities amid ongoing Russian incursions and Belarusian provocations.[43]Organizational Structure and Leadership
Leadership hierarchy
Zbigniew Ziobro founded Sovereign Poland on 24 March 2012 as a breakaway faction from Law and Justice, assuming the role of party president (prezes) and maintaining unchallenged authority over its direction through 2023.[2] In this capacity, Ziobro shaped the party's alignment with conservative principles, serving concurrently as Minister of Justice from 2015 to 2023, where he influenced judicial policies central to the party's identity.[44] The party's formal structure centered on the president, supported by a national board (zarząd krajowy) responsible for strategic decisions and a political council (rada polityczna) for policy oversight, with regional branches (struktury terenowe) handling local organization and candidate selection.[6] Decision-making processes prioritized adherence to core tenets of sovereignty, nationalism, and Catholic values, fostering cohesion amid occasional tensions with coalition partners like Law and Justice. This hierarchical model ensured centralized control under Ziobro, minimizing internal challenges until external pressures post-2023 elections. Following the United Right's defeat in October 2023, Ziobro's cancer diagnosis prompted Patryk Jaki to assume acting leadership in December 2023, preserving operational stability without altering the underlying structure.[45] No further leadership shifts occurred until Sovereign Poland's merger with Law and Justice on 12 October 2024, integrating its cadre—including Ziobro and Jaki as proposed PiS deputy leaders—into the larger party's framework and effectively dissolving independent operations.[1] Ziobro's influence persisted as the linchpin of the party's factional yet unified stance, even as health constraints limited his visibility.[46]Prominent members and representatives
Zbigniew Ziobro, the founder and leader of Sovereign Poland, holds a seat in the Sejm and directs the party's opposition activities, drawing on his prior tenure as Justice Minister from 2015 to 2023 to critique judicial reforms under the current government. Other key Sejm representatives include Michał Woś, a former Minister of Climate and Environment who advocates for energy sovereignty, and Michał Wójcik, focused on constitutional matters.[39] These figures contribute to the party's 18 seats within the broader opposition bloc, enabling targeted oversight on sovereignty-related legislation.[47] In the European Parliament, Patryk Jaki serves as a prominent representative, emphasizing resistance to EU migration policies and defense of national veto rights to preserve Polish autonomy.[48] Beata Kempa, another MEP affiliated with the party, engages in debates on family protections and critiques supranational overreach, reinforcing Sovereign Poland's Eurosceptic stance in international forums.[39] Despite the party's minority status post-2023 elections, these legislators sustain influence through committee assignments in justice, foreign affairs, and security panels, where they challenge ruling coalition initiatives on rule-of-law compliance and border defense.[1]Internal dynamics and factions
Sovereign Poland, whose members and supporters are often colloquially referred to as "Suwpolowcy" in Polish political discourse, has demonstrated notable internal cohesion since its formation as a distinct entity, with leadership under Zbigniew Ziobro enforcing discipline through a shared emphasis on Catholic-nationalist principles and resistance to EU overreach.[49] Unlike the parent Law and Justice (PiS) party, which has experienced broader factional maneuvering, SP's smaller cadre of approximately 15-20 parliamentary members has shown low defection rates, with no significant exits reported following the 2023 rebranding or the subsequent opposition phase. This stability stems from ideological alignment on sovereignty issues, minimizing intra-party rifts despite external pressures from coalition dynamics.[1] Tensions within SP have occasionally surfaced in tactical debates over the intensity of reforms, particularly during the 2015-2023 government period, where hardline advocates for rapid judicial overhauls clashed internally with voices urging measured pacing to sustain alliances. These discussions, often centered on accelerating anti-EU measures like blocking recovery fund disbursements, did not fracture the party, as unity was reinforced by mutual opposition to perceived Brussels encroachment. Post-2023 electoral setbacks, internal resolve hardened, with members prioritizing collective opposition strategies over divergent agendas, evidenced by unanimous support for Ziobro's confrontational stance toward the new Tusk administration's rule-of-law reversals.[50] The 2024 merger with PiS, announced on October 9, resolved latent divides between purist sovereignty hardliners—who favored SP's independent platform to avoid dilution—and pragmatists seeking amplified influence through integration. This process highlighted SP's adaptive discipline, as negotiations proceeded without publicized internal dissent, contrasting media portrayals of "extremist" fragmentation that lacked substantiation in defection data or leadership challenges. The absorption into PiS on October 12, 2024, at the latter's congress underscored a strategic consensus, preserving SP's core influences within a larger structure while averting split risks that plagued prior right-wing coalitions.[1][51]Electoral Performance
Sejm and Senate elections
Sovereign Poland participated in the 2015, 2019, and 2023 parliamentary elections exclusively through the United Right coalition, forgoing independent lists to consolidate conservative voter support and surpass electoral thresholds. This strategy proved effective, as standalone polling consistently estimated the party's support at 1-3%, insufficient for direct Sejm entry under Poland's 5% national threshold for parties (or 8% for coalitions). By embedding candidates on coalition lists, Sovereign Poland secured disproportionate representation relative to its isolated polling, reflecting broader right-wing vote unification that prevented fragmentation and enabled coalition majorities in earlier terms.[52] In the Sejm, the party maintained a stable bloc of 18 seats across all three elections, comprising roughly 8-10% of the United Right's total Sejm haul despite the coalition's fluctuating performance. This consistency occurred even as the coalition's vote share peaked at 43.59% in 2019 before declining to 35.38% in 2023 amid opposition gains. Senate representation remained marginal, typically 1 seat per term when the coalition controlled the chamber, as in 2015; the party held no Senate seats following the opposition's takeovers in 2019 and 2023. Critics within conservative circles have noted potential underrepresentation in intra-coalition seat negotiations, where empirical estimates of allied vote contributions (e.g., Sovereign Poland's targeted district mobilization) may not fully translate to proportional allocations, though the alliance framework yielded net strategic advantages over independent runs.[47][53]| Election year | Date | United Right Sejm seats (of 460) | Sovereign Poland Sejm seats | United Right Senate seats (of 100) | Sovereign Poland Senate seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 25 October | 235 | 18 | 61 | 1 |
| 2019 | 13 October | 235 | 18 | 48 | 0 |
| 2023 | 15 October | 194 | 18 | 34 | 0 |