International IDEA Board Member Adam Bodnar elected to the Senate of Poland
Following the Polish parliamentary election on 15 October 2023, International IDEA extends its congratulations to Adam Bodnar, a Member of its Board of Advisers since 2021, for his election to the Senate of Poland, i.e. the upper house of the Polish parliament. Representing the Civic Coalition, Bodnar received a total of 76.47% of the votes in Constituency no. 44. Notably, Bodnar received 78.01% of the Out-of-Country votes in that constituency and was backed by 73.27% of the voters in his local Warsaw districts. Bodnar previously served as Poland’s Ombudsman and is widely known for his work to defend human rights and uphold the rule of law.
The Polish election saw a notable voter turnout, with 74.4% of registered voters going to the polls. An impressive 69% of voters under the age of 30 participated in the election, signifying a remarkable upswing in youth engagement in Polish elections. The Law and Justice (PiS) party received 35.4% of the vote, followed by the Civil Coalition at 30.7%, the Third Way at 14.4%, the Left at 8.6%, and the Confederation at 7.2%. Despite being the largest party with 194 of the 460 seats in the lower house of the parliament, it will be challenging for the PiS to form a government. With a combined total of 248 seats for the opposition parties, the Civic Coalition, the Third Way and the Left, it looks increasingly likely that power will shift in Poland after eight years of PiS rule.
The government formation started last week with talks between President Andrzej Duda and parliamentary groups. While the possible Donald Tusk-led opposition government may encounter limitations on its legislative actions due to the veto power of Duda, who remains in office until 2025, the prospect of changes in Poland's domestic and foreign policy landscape looms ahead. This could include improved relations with both Brussels and Kyiv, easing the current abortion restrictions and the recognition of same-sex civil partnerships.
