Sovereign Poland (Polish: Suwerenna Polska, SP), also known as United Poland (Polish: Solidarna Polska; alternatively translated to Solidarity Poland), 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

The party has been described as national-conservative, nationalist, and Catholic-nationalist. It was also staunchly socially conservative. It was opposed to abortion and euthanasia, and supported extending maternity leave to nine months. It was eurosceptic, anti-LGBT, 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. It has also been described as right-wing populist mainly due to their opposition to immigration. It was the most anti-EU party in the United Right coalition. Between 2012 and 2021 it was described as right-wing and far-right, with a centre-right faction.

In its 2013 program, United Poland called for the government intervention in the economy, especially tax policy. 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.

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. 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.

In 2022, United Poland called for tougher blasphemy laws in Poland, such as three-year jail terms for insulting church or interrupting Mass.

History

After Ziobro and fellow MEPs Tadeusz Cymański and Jacek Kurski were ejected from PiS for disloyalty on 4 November 2011, Ziobro's supporters within PiS formed a new group in the Sejm. Despite claims that the new group was not attempting to form a new party, the MPs were expelled from Law and Justice. The party was founded in 2012 by Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Zbigniew Ziobro, who led the party's conservative Catholic-nationalist faction.

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.

The party was officially launched on 24 March 2012. At the time, opinion polls put the party just around 2%. In a 2020 poll, it found that if the party ran independent from the United Right it would gain 5.4% votes.

Sovereign Poland merged with Law and Justice on 12 October 2024 during PiS congress in Przysucha, despite concerns from some high-ranking members of both parties.

Representatives

Leadership

Leader:

Vice-Leaders:

Secretary:

  • Piotr Cieplucha

Chairman of the General Council:

Members of the Sejm

Member of the Senate

Members of the European Parliament

Election results

Presidential

ElectionCandidate1st round2nd round
# of overall votes% of overall vote# of overall votes% of overall vote
2015Supported Andrzej Duda5,179,09234.8 (#1)8,719,28151.5 (#1)
2020Supported Andrzej Duda8,450,51343.50 (#1)10,440,64851.03% (#1)

Sejm

ElectionLeaderVotes%Seats+/–Government
2015Zbigniew Ziobro5,711,68737.6 (#1)8 / 460NewPiS
As part of the United Right coalition, that won 235 seats in total.
2019Zbigniew Ziobro8,051,93543.6 (#1)10 / 4602PiS
As part of the United Right coalition, that won 235 seats in total.
2023Zbigniew Ziobro7,640,85435.4 (#1)18 / 4608KO–PL2050–KP–NL
As part of the United Right coalition, that won 194 seats in total.

Senate

ElectionSeats+/–
20152 / 100New
As part of the United Right coalition, that won 61 seats in total.
20192 / 1000
As part of the United Right coalition, that won 48 seats in total.
20231 / 1001
As part of the United Right coalition, that won 34 seats in total.

European Parliament

ElectionVotesLeader%Seats+/–EP Group
2014Zbigniew Ziobro281,0794.20 (#6)0 / 51New–
2019Zbigniew Ziobro6,192,78045.38 (#1)1 / 521ECR
As part of the United Right coalition, that won 27 seats in total.
2024Zbigniew Ziobro4,253,16936.16 (#2)2 / 531ECR
As part of the United Right coalition, that won 20 seats in total.

Notes

External links

  • (in Polish)