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Poland

Monthly Event Reports

February 2024 | Government advances judicial overhaul
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The government announced plans to roll back changes made by the previous government between 2015 and 2023, which had expanded political influence over the judiciary. On 20 February, the government approved draft legislation aimed at depoliticising the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), the body charged with nominating judges. The legislation, which will now go to Parliament, would see KRS judges elected by all Polish judges in a universal and secret ballot (currently, they are appointed by the Sejm, the lower parliamentary house). The planned reforms further aim to tackle disciplinary liability for judges applying EU law, the so-called “muzzle law”, and to discontinue unjustified disciplinary proceedings. Additionally, the plans seek to separate the office of the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General. The government has controversially removed the Law and Justice (PiS) party loyalists from key positions by claiming they were illegitimately appointed, including the National Public Prosecutor who was replaced in February.

January 2024 | Tusk's government in conflict with President Duda over arrested MPs
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On 9 January, two opposition MPs, the former interior minister and former deputy interior minister, were arrested and stripped of their parliamentary mandates and immunity. In December, the men had been sentenced to two years’ jail for abuse of power committed in 2007. In response, the two MPs took refuge in the Presidential Palace, which hindered the police. Previously, President Andrzej Duda had pardoned them, but the Supreme Court subsequently invalidated that pardon. The men were eventually arrested and went on a hunger strike, claiming to be political prisoners. The opposition Law and Justice party subsequently organized an anti-government protest, drawing tens of thousands of people. On 23 January, the men were released after President Duda issued a new pardon, but it remains unclear whether they should still be considered MPs, since the Constitution bars people with convictions from serving as MPs.

December 2023 | Minister of Culture overhauls management of state media
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Following a resolution by the Parliament’s lower house (the Sejm) to restore reliability and impartiality to public media, the current Minister of Culture removed the chairmen and boards of state-owned television, radio, and news agencies. The overhaul of state media was met with protests from the opposition, with PiS MPs staging a sit-in in the state news channel TVP’s headquarters. President Andrzej Duda called the move a violation of the Polish Constitution, stating that a resolution by the Sejm cannot be put above Polish law. While the state media has been heavily criticized by international observers for being influenced by PiS during its time in office, the sudden overhaul of state media by Donald Tusk’s government has raised concerns. The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights has argued that the dismissal of public media management by a government minister contradicts the requirement for public media to be independent from political interference.

October 2023 | Opposition best placed to form government following elections
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Following parliamentary elections held on 15 October, the incumbent Law and Justice (PiS) party won the largest share of the vote (35.4 per cent), but it was unable to hold onto its majority in Parliament. All seats in both houses of Parliament (the Sejm and the Senate) were contested. The main opposition party, Civic Platform (KO), came second with 30.7 per cent of the vote and 157 seats. Its two likely coalition partners, Third Way (Trzecia Droga) and The Left (Lewica) finished with 14.4 per cent of the vote (65 seats) and 8.6 per cent (26 seats) respectively. Far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) secured 7.2 per cent of the vote and 18 seats. Voter turnout was 74.4 per cent. The lower house will comprise 136 women lawmakers (29.6 per cent), and 17 women were elected to the upper house (17 per cent). A total of 44 per cent of candidates standing in the elections were women. According to international observers, the elections were competitive but characterized by public media bias and mismanagement of public resources.

Explore past monthly event reports

GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
37 781 020
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Donald Tusk (since 2023)
Head of government party
Civic Platform (PO)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
29.6%
Women in upper chamber
19.0%
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
3.41
Head of state
President Andrzej Duda
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
15/11/2022
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
38.20%
Population Tooltip
37 781 020
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Donald Tusk (since 2023)
Head of government party
Civic Platform (PO)
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
29.6%
Women in upper chamber
19.0%
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
3.41
Head of state
President Andrzej Duda
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
15/11/2022
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
38.20%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
Signatory
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
No Action
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
in
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time

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