The article deals with the issue of the internal historical politics of Law and Justice party (PiS) during their years of power in 2005–2007. From the very beginning, the party put an extreme importance to the issue of patriotism and national memory, making them one of their main objectives. With the inception of power in 2005, the leaders of this group clearly declared that the important goal of their actions would be to restore historical memory, which was to be initiated by the “new historical politics”. When analyzing the historical policy pursued by Law and Justice in the internal dimension, it should be noted that it focused on several key elements. The first of them was building patriotic attitudes among the Polish society. The historical settlement of the communist times became the second goal of the party’s historical politics. The past has begun to be used by the leaders of this formation also to stigmatize political opponents. Moreover, it served as an effective tool to both Kaczyński brothers for mobilizing their own supporters.

The aim of the article was to present the means of political communication in the 1997 referendum campaign in Poland, and to find answers for the following questions: 1) who was the creator of political messages?; 2) what was the ideological structure of communication?; 3) what channels did the authors of political message make use of?; 4) in what way did the recipients decode the message?; 5) what was the effect of the political messages?; 6) did the referendum campaign influence the result of parliamentary elections – and if so, to what degree? The answers acquired in that way will contribute to exposing full perspective of political communication.

The sources of origin and contemporary shape of the political parties and political culture in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a state with very specific political culture and unparalleled mechanisms of the functioning of the political parties. The article is intended to show the reasons for its development in its present form and what may even more important – the attitudes of citizens. It presents a characteristic understanding of democracy and the perception of political pluralism, which is not a desirable value at all, and the unanimity of the whole nation is glorified instead. Contrary to popular belief, in North Korea – apart from the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea – there are also other political groups with representatives in parliament. Therefore, the genesis of their creation and the profile were presented. The text is also an analysis of their actual significance and impact on the DPRK’s party system and policy, and whether the current situation may change significantly in the near future, also considering the possibility of citizens undertaking independent political activity.

The article aims to present and discuss five theoretical models explaining the issue of ideological changes in Polish political parties. The paper is to shed light on an ideology’s dynamic nature and the process of building ideology in the political parties’ environment. The article features a discussion on the circumstances favoring the implementation of ideological changes and the methods used by parties to implement changes in their ideologies. The paper adopts two research hypotheses: 1) party ideologies are developed and modified by political parties in response to the changing (social, political, economic) circumstances in the inter-party rivalry. 2) The process of ideological changes serves political parties to lead an effective inter-party rivalry. The paper establishes that the factors with scientifically documented impact on party behavior in ideological terms are as follows: electoral result (parties that achieved a result below their expectations are more eager to revise their ideologies), political competition’s activity (parties react to ideological changes of their direct rivals), electorate preferences (political forces can change their approach in crucial issues to reflect the dominant views in their electorates) and acceptance of free-market principles by the main political actors. An analysis of Polish parties’ behaviors and the gathered source material also demonstrates that the parties’ inclination to implement ideological changes depends on organizational factors.

The article analyzes the election programmes of the two largest political parties in Poland, namely, Law and Justice and the Civic Platform (Civic Coalition) from the 2019 parliamentary elections, referring to the proposals of these parties to change the functioning of the state, in particular the scope of legislative, executive and judicial power. The conclusion summarizes the presented programme proposals, considering whether their implementation would be possible under the current political conditions.

Non-electoral tasks of the National Electoral Commission

Apart from its main functions connected with preparing and holding elections, the National Electoral Commission has to fulfill many other tasks entrusted to it both by the Election Code and by many other acts. Therefore, we can divide these tasks into two categories: the tasks of an electoral nature and the tasks of a non-electoral nature. The article presents the tasks carried out by the National Electoral Commission in the non-electoral sphere. Among them there are also particularly significant issues connected with financing the politics, both in terms of considering the reports of political parties and electoral committees. The wide scope of tasks performed by the National Electoral Commission, including those that have a direct impact on the shaping of Polish democratic system substantiate the thesis about the necessity of constitutionalization of the National Electoral Commission.

Competitive advantage of political parties financed by the state budget in Poland

The article concerns the principles of financing of political parties in Poland. The thesis about creating a competitive advantage of the parties financed from the state budget over other parties was verified. An analysis of the amount of subsidies and other funds paid to eligible political parties was carried out. Particular attention was paid to the domination of funds from the budget over other sources of finance of the largest political parties. In conclusion, it was proposed to significantly limit the statutory subsidy and, as a consequence, replace it with voluntary taxation of citizens.

Changing the electoral systems as a research problem

The aim of the article is to review the main research issues related to the analysis of changes in electoral systems. Since the nineties of the twentieth century, the issue has become a popular research. Based on the literature review, attention was drawn to research on entities involved in changes to electoral systems, the motivations underlying these decisions, awareness of the political consequences of participants into the effects of changes in electoral systems, factors shaping electoral reform processes.

Shortening the term of the Polish Sejm in 2007

The purpose of this paper was to analyze the regulations contained in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2 April 1997 (The Constitution of the Republic of Poland) concerning the shortening of the term of parliament. The paper discusses the political reasons for which such a decision was made during the 5th term of the Polish Sejm (2005–2007) and the effects it had on the Polish political scene in later years.

The purpose of this article is to present the political views of Tadeusz Świecki, an activist of the National Democracy in the Płock Mazovia region. The article is based on archival materials, scientific studies and journalistic articles. In structural terms it consists of two separate parts. The first one presents basic biographical data. The second part analyses political views. In order to achieve the aim, two main research methods have been used: biographical and content analysis. The main research hypothesis assumes that Tadeusz Świecki was an undoubted leader of the Płock National Democrats. According to the second hypothesis, he was an original political thinker who tried to synthesize national-democratic views with political Romanticism.

Cross-Party Electoral Agreements in the Form of Coalition Election Committees and Party Election Committees in the Polish General Elections in 2018–2019

Election committees in Poland nominate candidates for elections and organize election campaigns for them. The legislator lists three types of committees that may take part in elections to the Sejm, Senate and the European Parliament: the election committee of a political party, a coalition election committee and an election committee of voters. Of these, the coalition committee is the most complicated formula – to organize it, an agreement between several parties is required. In 2019, Poland saw a consolidation of the political scene – at that time, in the elections to the European Parliament, only six committees put up lists of candidates across the country, while in the elections to the Sejm – only five committees. This was because multi- party electoral agreements formally took part in the elections as party rather than coalition election committees. So is the institution of a coalition election committee still useful?

Results of the elections to the Regional Parliament and the Cortes Generales in the Basque country as a reflection of the nationalist tendencies

Basque nationalism is a multifaceted and complex issue in which many aspects overlap, but much can be deduced from the political sympathies expressed by the inhabitants of the Basque Country during the elections to both the regional parliament and the Cortes Generales. The political parties’ programs are also a good source of knowledge. The aim of the article is to outline the programs of the Basque main political parties and the results of parliamentary elections as two important determinants for the analysis of nationalist tendencies in this autonomous community. The article provides an analysis of the political origins of Basque nationalism and also focuses on the PNV party as the leading political force for moderate nationalism. The last part concerns the socio-political moods at the end of the second decade of the 21st century in the Basque Country.

The role of references to history in the ideological declarations of selected Polish political parties after 1989

This paper investigates political parties’ attitude towards the past. It explores ideological inspirations and more or less consciously ‘borrowed’ by parties founded in Poland after 1989 from political groups operating in the interwar and the Communist periods.

The present article provides an original typology of Polish parliamentary parties according to the religious criterion, i.e., the attitude towards the Catholic Church and its postulates (prohibition of abortion, legalising IVF and civil partnerships). The analysis covers the parties which have had at least 10 seats in the Sejm since 2001. First, the parties were classified according to the program criterion (membership in party families), then their views in the axiological sphere were analysed, and finally, the party typology was determined. The following types of parties were distinguished: quasi-religious, referring only to Christian values, axiologically moderate, secular.

Issues of gender in educational policy. Analysis of Polish political programs

In this article, I gave the analysis of the position of Polish political parties to issues of education and gender. I analyzed the topic of philosophical issues to the LGBT community. The intention of the research was demonstrate how the parties relate to issues of gender, so it identify and propose what changes in the context of education policy. It used an analysis of existing documents (declarations, programs) and expression of individual politicians. On the basis of the study I pointed to the division between left and right side of the political scene in the context of philosophical issues.

Rejection of the Financial Statement of Polska 2050 Szymon Hołownia – Remarks in Light of the European Convention on Human Rights

The paper analyses the case of rejection of the 2021 financial statement of the political party Poland 2050 of Szymon Hołownia. This issue provides a basis for a theoretical analysis of Polish legislation in the context of the standards established by the European Convention on Human Rights and developed in the European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence. The paper considers a possible referral of a political party to the ECtHR due to national practice that may violate the Convention. The sanctions relating to irregularities in financing political parties may be considered disproportionate. The analysis used a dogmatic method of research combined with a review of the case law of the ECtHR, especially versus Turkey.

Relations between the Third Republic of Poland and the Catholic Church remain one of the aspects of contemporary political rivalry. Political parties have specific postulates regarding this aspect of contemporary social reality, which, as a rule, are part of the relevant program documents. The proposals of individual political circles, apart from substantive issues, differ in terms of scope, degree of detail and possibility of implementation due to the non-compliance of possible changes with the relevant provisions of the Constitution of April 2, 1997, the Concordat between the Third Republic of Poland and the Holy See, statutory regulations concerning the matter of mutual relations between the state and the church, or various non-legal circumstances related primarily to specific social moods.

New social movements, focused around values and sociocultural identities, shape new communities outside the traditional field of party politics. On one hand, in their institutionalization, social movements enter the political sphere, and on the other, political parties strive to attract voters and supporters by application of tools typical for social movements. The subject of this paper is the border area between new social movements and parties, understood primarily as modes of collective action. The study aims at delineating the field of their mutual influence and at identifying its mechanisms, and explores the problems of ambivalence and instability affecting the dynamics of change within political systems.

The idea of women’s equality in the context of human rights and equality policies of Polish political groups

This article analyzes the idea of women’s equality in the perspective of human rights. Starting from the definitional formulation of human rights, through the inclusion of women’s rights to human rights, the legal and social aspects of equality has been indicated and human rights, in the context of the socio-political situation of women in Poland, has been presented. The main research question is whether women’s equality is achieved and to what extent. Are we talking about a practical dimension (implemented) or only a declarative one? To answer this key question, the programs of political groups in Poland and their equality policy were subjected to a comparative analysis. For the purpose of the research, the programs of those groups that obtained parliamentary mandates in the 2019 elections, i.e., Law and Justice, Civic Coalition, and Polish People’s Party, were analysed.

Language policy in the program documents of Ukrainian political parties

This article presents the position of Ukrainian political parties on the issue of language policy during the period of independence. In particular, it was important to show the position taken by individual political parties towards the status of the Russian language, as well as the need to ensure the functioning of the Ukrainian language in all spheres of social life and in the territory of the entire state. A number of program documents were analyzed, in particular, the programs of political parties and the electoral programs of parties and electoral coalitions with which they competed in subsequent elections to the Verkhovna Rada. The focus was on those political parties that individually managed to overcome the electoral threshold at least once during the parliamentary elections held at the time of independence, or played a leading role in the electoral coalitions formed, as was the case, for example, with the People’s Union “Our Ukraine” which was the key political force in the pro-presidential electoral coalitions formed for the 2006 and 2007 elections. The position of the various political forces on the language issue was discussed after first dividing them into left-wing, centrist and center-left parties, as well as right-wing and center-right parties.