The Left (Poland)
{{short description|Political alliance in Poland}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = The Left
| native_name = Lewica
| logo = Lewica 01.svg
| colorcode = {{party color|The Left (Poland)}}
| foundation = 19 July 2019
| leader1_title = Leaders
| leader1_name = {{ubl|class=nowrap|Włodzimierz Czarzasty|Robert Biedroń|Magdalena Biejat}}
| leader2_title = Parliamentary leader
| leader2_name = Anna Maria Żukowska
| ideology = {{ubl|Social democracy|Social liberalism|Democratic socialism|Progressivism|Pro-Europeanism}}
| position = Centre-left to left-wing
| predecessor = United Left
| national = Senate Pact 2023 (for 2023 Senate election)
| blank1_title = Members
| blank1 = {{nowrap|New Left
Polish Socialist Party
Labour Union
Social Democracy of Poland
Freedom and Equality
The City Is Ours
Left Together (until 2024)}}
| europarl = Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (NL)
| seats1_title = Sejm
| seats1 = {{Composition bar|21|460|hex={{party color|The Left (Poland)}}}}
| seats2_title = Senate
| seats2 = {{Composition bar|9|100|hex={{party color|The Left (Poland)}}}}
| seats3_title = European Parliament
| seats3 = {{Composition bar|3|53|hex={{party color|The Left (Poland)}}}}
| seats4_title = Regional assemblies
| seats4 = {{Composition bar|8|552|hex={{party color|The Left (Poland)}}}}
| seats5_title = City Presidents{{cite news |last1=Rogojsz |first1=Łukasz |title=Lewica broni się w miastach i liczy, że odroczy aneksję przez Tuska i KO |url=https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/raport-wybory-samorzadowe-2024/news-lewica-broni-sie-w-miastach-i-liczy-ze-odroczy-aneksje-przez,nId,7468603 |access-date=23 June 2024 |work=Interia Wydarzenia |date=23 April 2004 |quote=Częstochowa, Włocławek, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Świdnica, Będzin - to lista miast prezydenckich, w których kandydaci i kandydatki Lewicy wygrali w drugiej turze wyborów samorządowych. Sukcesy odnieśli też politycy wspierani przez Lewicę - wygrali w Krakowie (Aleksander Miszalski), Wrocławiu (Jacek Sutryk) i Rzeszowie (Konrad Fijołek).}}
| seats5 = {{Composition bar|11|107|hex={{party color|The Left (Poland)}}}}
| website = {{URL|https://klub-lewica.org.pl/}}
| country = Poland
}}
File:Konwencja Nowej Lewicy w Warszawie 2023.jpg, Dorota Olko, Agata Diduszko-Zyglewska, Anna Maria Żukowska, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Magdalena Biejat, Daria Gosek-Popiołek, Robert Biedroń.]]
The Left ({{langx|pl|Lewica}}) is a political alliance in Poland. Initially founded to contest the 2019 parliamentary election, the alliance now consists of the New Left and other smaller parties.{{Cite web|title=What's Left in Poland? Can the 'three tenors' led by Adrian Zandberg, take on Poland's duopoly?|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/whats-left-in-poland-can-the-three-tenors-led-by-adrian-zandberg-take-on-polands-duopoly/}}
It also originally consisted of Democratic Left Alliance and Spring until its merging to create the New Left, including the Polish Socialist Party that left the coalition in 2021. It is also supported by several minor left-wing parties, including Your Movement, Yes for Łódź,{{Cite web|date=2019-10-11|title=Gill-Piątek: W Sejmie będę głosem skrzywdzonych przez system|url=https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/gill-piatek-bede-glosem-skrzywdzonych-przez-system-rozmowa/|access-date=2019-10-15|website=KrytykaPolityczna.pl|language=pl-PL}} Urban Movement,{{Cite web|title=Anita Kucharska-Dziedzic|url=https://lewica2019.pl/okreg-wyborczy-nr-8-zielona-gora/63-anita-kucharska-dziedzic?highlight=WyJrdWNoYXJza2EtZHppZWR6aWMiLCJhbml0YSIsImt1Y2hhcnNrYS1kemllZHppYyBhbml0YSJd|access-date=2019-10-15|website=Lewica - Oficjalna strona jedynej postępowej siły w polskiej polityce!|language=pl-PL}} and the Polish Communist Party.{{Cite web|last=Pisze|first=Coschess|date=2019-10-10|title=Jedyny komunistyczny kandydat w wyborach|url=https://kom-pol.org/2019/10/10/jedyny-komunistyczny-kandydat/|access-date=2019-10-15|website=KOMUNISTYCZNA PARTIA POLSKI|language=pl-PL}}
The Left is a catch-all coalition of the Polish left,{{Cite web|date=2019-09-21|title=Socialists set to make comeback in Polish elections next month|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/poland-parliament-polish-socialists-election-left-alliance-spring-razem-a9113881.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/poland-parliament-polish-socialists-election-left-alliance-spring-razem-a9113881.html|archive-date=2022-06-18 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2019-10-16|website=The Independent|language=en}} and it is positioned on the centre-left{{cite web|date=13 October 2019|title=Poland election: Voters give verdict on four years of right-wing populists|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/poland-election-vote-latest-populist-government-pis-law-and-justice-a9152246.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/poland-election-vote-latest-populist-government-pis-law-and-justice-a9152246.html|archive-date=2022-06-18|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|work=The Independent|quote=The latest voting intention poll by Kantar has PiS and its allies on 43 per cent, the centre-right liberal Civic Platform on 28 per cent, and the left-of-centre Lewica on 13 per cent.}} and left-wing.{{bulleted list|{{Cite web|date=2019-09-11|title=House with a Garden: How PiS Paints the "Polish Dream"|url=https://balkaninsight.com/2019/09/11/house-with-a-garden-how-pis-paints-the-polish-dream/|access-date=2021-12-29|website=Balkan Insight|language=en-US}}|{{Cite web|title=Poland: Following the European elections, PiS maintains its dominant position in spite of the changing political scene {{!}} Heinrich Böll Stiftung|url=https://www.boell.de/en/node/64517|access-date=2021-12-29|website=Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung|language=en}}|{{Cite web|date=2019-10-15|title=Nobel winner fears rising self-censorship in Poland|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20191015-nobel-winner-fears-rising-self-censorship-in-poland|access-date=2021-12-29|website=France 24|language=en}}|{{Cite news|title=How do Poland's ruling populists remain so popular? Follow the money.|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/how-do-polands-ruling-populists-remain-so-popular-follow-the-money/2019/10/11/6ae9f886-eb73-11e9-a329-7378fbfa1b63_story.html|access-date=2021-12-29|issn=0190-8286}}|{{Cite news|author=Derek Scally |title=Polish conservatives in final push to secure re-election|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/polish-conservatives-in-final-push-to-secure-re-election-1.4047790|access-date=2021-12-29|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}|{{Cite web|date=2020-06-19|title=Poland's LGBTQ community in the political crosshairs|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-lgbtq-community-in-the-political-crosshairs-elections-duda/|access-date=2021-12-29|website=POLITICO|language=en-US}}}} It is mainly orientated towards the principles of social democracy,{{cite web|title=Partia Razem. Nowa partia dla prekariuszy|url=http://wyborcza.pl/1,75478,17999137,Partia_Razem__Nowa_partia_dla_prekariuszy.html|access-date=2015-09-26|publisher=Gazeta Wyborcza|language=pl}} and democratic socialism.{{cite web|date=12 October 2019|title=Poland's election - what you need to know|url=http://www.krakowpost.com/2183f7/2019/10/2019-election-for-polands-parliament-what-you-need-to-know}} It also advocates progressive, social-liberal{{Cite web|title=Neue Partei in Polen - "Frühling" macht der linken Mitte Hoffnung|url=https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/neue-partei-in-polen-fruehling-macht-der-linken-mitte-100.html|access-date=2021-12-29|website=Deutschlandfunk|language=de}} and secular policies, including LGBT rights.{{bulleted list|{{cite book|last1=Syska|first1=Michał|url=https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/prag/13130.pdf|title=Strengthening Social Democracy in the Visegrad Countries|publisher=Friedrich Ebert Foundation}}|{{Cite web|title=Interview with Adrian Zandberg, Partia Razem|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/interview-with-adrian-zandberg-part/|access-date=2021-12-29|website=openDemocracy|language=en}}|{{Cite web|date=2019-02-15|title=Spring in Poland: Liberal View on Robert Biedron's New Political Party|url=http://4liberty.eu/spring-in-poland-liberal-view-on-robert-biedrons-new-political-party/|access-date=2021-12-29|website=4Liberty.eu|language=en-US}}|{{Cite web|title=Plan partii Biedronia w punktach|url=https://tvn24.pl/polska/partia-wiosna-roberta-biedronia-glowne-postulaty-ra906236-2301174|access-date=2021-12-29|website=TVN24|date=3 February 2019 |language=pl}}}}{{cite news|date=11 October 2019|title=Polish conservatives in final push to secure re-election|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/polish-conservatives-in-final-push-to-secure-re-election-1.4047790|newspaper=The Irish Times|quote=Today's left-wing Lewica alliance has presented an anti-PiS, pro-EU programme espousing LGBT rights and loosening Poland's restrictive abortion laws.}} It is supportive of Poland's membership in the European Union.
In the 2023 Polish parliamentary election, The Left coalition technically participated as the New Left party, whose list included representatives of Left Together, Labour Union, Polish Socialist Party, Freedom and Equality and Social Democracy of Poland.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-18 |title=Nowa Lewica zatwierdziła listy wyborcze. Debata trwała godzinę |url=https://www.polsatnews.pl/wiadomosc/2023-08-18/nowa-lewica-odslania-karty-ogloszono-kandydatow-w-wyborach-do-sejmu/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=polsatnews.pl |language=pl}}{{Cite web |title=Wybory do Sejmu i Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w 2023 r. |url=https://wybory.gov.pl/sejmsenat2023/en/komitet/29617 |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=wybory.gov.pl |language=pl}}
Voter base
As Lewica is formed as a unification of the Polish left, it has attempted to diversify its platform and appeal to a broader range of voters, rather than relying mostly on the votes of former officials and civil servants during the PPR period, which had been and continues to be one of the Democratic Left Alliance's largest voting blocs. This attempt, however, was met with somewhat limited success by the fact that the coalition's pro-LGBT rights platform failed to appeal to working class and economically left-leaning Poles, which tend to favour a more socially conservative policy (especially as both economically interventionist and social conservative positions were already being provided by the right-wing PiS party). At the same time, the more liberally-oriented city-dwelling population, which could favour the party's proposed socially progressive policies, found little appeal in the party's platform of economic interventionism.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ips-journal.eu/regions/europe/article/show/lewica-a-united-polish-left-3741/|title=Lewica: a united Polish left|website=www.ips-journal.eu|date=23 September 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-10-16}}{{Cite book|url=https://krytykapolityczna.pl/file/sites/4/2017/10/Political-cynicism-Resume-in-English.pdf|title=POLITICAL CYNICISM: The Case of Poland|last1=SADURA|first1=Przemysław|last2=SIERAKOWSKI|first2=Sławomir|year=2019}}
Despite this, some sociologists theorized that the unification of the parties could lead to an overall mobilization of leftist voters,{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-politics-opposition-idUSKCN1UD2H6|title=Poland's fragmented opposition coalesces into left, center blocs|date=2019-07-18|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-10-16|language=en}} which could now feel that their vote for the coalition wouldn't be wasted. This was confirmed to be the case when Lewica succeeded in electing 49 members to the Sejm and 2 members to the Senate of Poland in the 2019 Polish parliamentary election, thus making the coalition Poland's third largest political force and overturning a four-year absence of left-wing representatives in Poland's parliament.{{Cite web|last=Hoffman|first=Steven|date=2019-10-18|title=5 takeaways from the 2019 Polish parliament election|url=http://www.krakowpost.com/21843/2019/10/5-takeaways-from-the-2019-polish-parliament-election|access-date=2020-10-27|website=The Krakow Post|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Whither Poland? After the 2019 parliamentary elections|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/global-extremes/whither-poland-after-2019-parliamentary-elections/|access-date=2020-10-27|website=openDemocracy|language=en}}
In addition, the party's platform, which differs greatly from the platforms of the other major Polish political parties, has managed to find some support among disillusioned younger and secular voters, which don't identify with any political force or even with the left, but instead desire "something new".{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2018/04/30/what-are-the-prospects-for-the-polish-left/|title=What are the prospects for the Polish left?|last=Szczerbiak|first=Aleks|date=2018-04-30|website=London School of Economics series on Evidence-based analysis and commentary on European politics|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-18}}
At the same time, the party also received a considerable boost in support among older voters after the ruling PiS party passed a "degradation law", which cut retirement pensions and disability benefits for thousands of former bureaucrats during the PPR period, whose main income was now directly threatened by the new government policy. This led to an expansion and consolidation of the otherwise shrinking of the Democratic Left Alliance's previously described voting bloc.
Ideology
The 2019 electoral program of the Left included:{{Cite web|url=https://lewica2019.pl/program|title=Program Wyborczy Lewicy}}{{cite web|title=Why vote for the left?|url=https://lewica2019.pl/dlaczego-my|website=LEWICA}}
- investments in renewable energy sources and energy efficiency,
- rewilding, including reforestation and restoration of wetlands,
- appointment of the Commissioner for Animal Rights, prohibition of fur farming, use of animals in circuses and cage farming,
- universal national crop insurance against drought and flooding,
- cameras on police uniforms recording in continuous mode,
- moving 1/4 of ministries and government agencies outside Warsaw,
- abolishing the Institute of National Remembrance and the National Day of Remembrance of the "cursed soldiers",
- increasing R&D expenditure to 2% of GDP,
- sick leave pay and sickness benefit amounting to 100% of the basic salary plus bonuses and allowances,
- establishing a minimum wage at 60% of the average wage,
- minimum wage of 3500 PLN in the public sector,
- widening the competences of the National Labour Inspectorate,
- a maximum fee for a prescription drug of 5 PLN,
- increasing public healthcare expenditure to 7.2% of GDP in 2024,
- introducing health and sex education in schools,
- extinguishing the reprivatization claims,
- establishing a public enterprise to provide one million flats in the years 2021–2031,
- in vitro fertilization reimbursement,
- fully paid and compulsory leave with a minimum of 12 weeks for both parents of a newborn,
- transparency of church funding and abolishing the Church Fund,
- Separation of church and state
- liberalising Poland's abortion law,
- gender quotas in the Council of Ministers,
- introducing same-sex marriage and civil partnerships.
Parliamentary group
Parliamentary group under the name Coalition Parliamentary Club of the Left ({{langx|pl|Koalicyjny Klub Parlamentarny Lewicy}}) is chaired by Anna Maria Żukowska.{{cite web |title=Koalicyjny Klub Parlamentarny Lewicy (Nowa Lewica, PPS, Razem, Unia Pracy) - Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej |url=https://www.sejm.gov.pl/Sejm10.nsf/klub.xsp?klub=Lewica |website=sejm.gov.pl |access-date=7 July 2024}} It currently has 21 members of the Sejm, and 9 senators.{{cite web |title=Senatorowie / Kluby i koła / Senat Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej |url=https://www.senat.gov.pl/sklad/kluby-i-kola/#klub-101 |website=senat.gov.pl |access-date=28 August 2024}}
=Current members=
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" |Party !Sejm{{cite web |last1=Figlarz |first1=Krzysztof |title=Kto tworzy klub Lewicy? |url=https://mamprawowiedziec.pl/czytelnia/artykul/kto-stworzy-klub-lewicy |work=MamPrawoWiedziec.pl |publisher=Stowarzyszenie 61 |date=19 October 2023 |access-date=19 June 2024}} |
| {{party color cell|New Left (Poland)|2px}}
|{{composition bar|18|460|hex={{party color|New Left (Poland)}}}} {{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal |title=See list |bullets=true |3=Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk |6=Piotr Kowal |7=Anita Kucharska-Dziedzic |10=Wanda Nowicka |11=Arkadiusz Sikora |13=Andrzej Szejna |15=Tomasz Trela }} |{{composition bar|5|100|hex={{party color|New Left (Poland)}}}} {{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal |title=See list |bullets=true |2=Marcin Karpiński |3=Małgorzata Sekuła-Szmajdzińska |4=Piotr Woźniak |5=Stanisław Pawlak }} |
| {{party color cell|Polish Socialist Party|2px}}
|{{composition bar|0|460|hex={{party color|Polish Socialist Party}}}} |{{composition bar|1|100|hex={{party color|Polish Socialist Party}}}} {{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal |title=See list |bullets=true }} |
| {{party color cell|Labour Union (Poland)|2px}}
|{{composition bar|0|460|hex={{party color|Labour Union (Poland)}}}} |{{composition bar|1|100|hex={{party color|Labour Union (Poland)}}}} {{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal |title=See list |bullets=true }} |
| {{party color cell|Independent|2px}}
|Independents |{{composition bar|3|460|hex={{party color|Independent}}}} {{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal |title=See list |bullets=true |2=Dorota Olko |3=Joanna Wicha }} |{{composition bar|2|100|hex={{party color|Independent}}}} {{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal |title=See list |bullets=true |2=Anna Górska }} |
=Former members=
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" |Party !Sejm{{cite web |last1=Figlarz |first1=Krzysztof |title=Kto tworzy klub Lewicy? |url=https://mamprawowiedziec.pl/czytelnia/artykul/kto-stworzy-klub-lewicy |work=MamPrawoWiedziec.pl |publisher=Stowarzyszenie 61 |date=19 October 2023 |access-date=19 June 2024}} |
| {{party color cell|Left Together|2px}}
|{{composition bar|5|460|hex={{party color|Razem}}}} {{Collapsible list |titlestyle=font-weight:normal |title=See list |bullets=true |3=Marta Stożek }} |{{composition bar|0|100|hex={{party color|Razem}}}} |
Election results
= Presidential =
| class="wikitable col3right col4right"
! rowspan="2" |Election ! rowspan="2" |Candidate ! colspan="2" |1st round ! colspan="2" |2nd round ! rowspan="2" |Ref |
| Popular vote
!% of votes !Popular vote !% of votes |
|---|
| 2020
|432,129 |2.22 | style="background:lightgrey;"| | style="background:lightgrey;"| |{{cite web |title=First round voting results |url=https://prezydent20200628.pkw.gov.pl/prezydent20200628/en/wyniki/1/pl |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=prezydent20200628.pkw.gov.pl |publisher=National Electoral Commission}} |
=Sejm=
{{Table alignment}}
| class="wikitable col3right col4right"
!Election !Leader !Popular vote !% of votes !Seats !{{nowrap|+/−}} !Government !Ref |
| rowspan="2" |2019
|2,319,946 |12.56 |{{Composition bar|49|460|hex={{party color|The Left (Poland)}}}} |New |{{No2|PiS}} | rowspan="2" |{{cite web |title=Sejm voting results |url=https://sejmsenat2019.pkw.gov.pl/sejmsenat2019/en/wyniki/sejm/pl |website=sejmsenat2019.pkw.gov.pl |publisher=National Electoral Commission |access-date=19 June 2024}} |
|---|
| colspan="6" |{{small|Officially registered as Democratic Left Alliance party list.}} |
| rowspan="3" |2023
| rowspan="2" |Włodzimierz Czarzasty, | rowspan="2" |1,859,018 | rowspan="2" |8.61 | rowspan="2" |{{Composition bar|26|460|hex={{party color|The Left (Poland)}}}} | rowspan="2" |{{nowrap|{{decrease}} 23}} | {{no2|PiS Minority (2023)}} | rowspan="3" |{{cite web |title=Results of voting in 2023 elections for Sejm |url=https://sejmsenat2023.pkw.gov.pl/sejmsenat2023/en/sejm/wynik/pl |website=sejmsenat2023.pkw.gov.pl |publisher=National Electoral Commission |access-date=19 June 2024}} |
| {{Yes2|KO–PL2050–PSL–NL}} (2023-present) |
| colspan="6" |{{small|Officially registered as New Left party list.}} |
=Senate=
{{Table alignment}}
= European Parliament =
| class="wikitable col3right col4right"
!Election !Leader !Popular vote !% of votes !Seats !{{nowrap|+/−}} !Ref |
| 2024
|Robert Biedroń{{Efn|Candidate listed no. 1 in Warsaw.}} |741,071 |6.30 |{{Composition bar|3|53|hex={{party color|The Left (Poland)}}}} |{{nowrap|{{decrease}} 5}} |{{cite web |title=KOALICYJNY KOMITET WYBORCZY LEWICA - in European Parliament election 2024 |url=https://wybory.gov.pl/pe2024/en/komitet/41157 |access-date=19 June 2024 |website=wybory.gov.pl |publisher=National Electoral Commission}} |
|---|
= Regional Assemblies =
{{Table alignment}}
| class="wikitable col3right col4right" |
| Election
!Leader !Popular vote !% of votes !Seats !{{nowrap|+/−}} !Ref |
|---|
| 2024
|Włodzimierz Czarzasty, |911,430 |6.32 |{{Composition bar|8|552|hex={{party color|The Left (Poland)}}}} |{{nowrap|{{decrease}} 3}} |{{cite web |title=Results in 2024 elections for Voivodeship Council |url=https://samorzad2024.pkw.gov.pl/samorzad2024/en/sejmik_wojewodztwa/okregi |website=samorzad2024.pkw.gov.pl |publisher=National Electoral Commission |access-date=19 June 2024}} |
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Polish political parties}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Left}}
Category:2019 establishments in Poland
Category:Democratic Left Alliance
Category:Political parties established in 2019
Category:Political party alliances in Poland