Election Action of Lithuania's Poles
Encyclopedia
Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania , abbreviated to AWPL or LLRA, is a centre-right
Lithuania
n political party
. It represents the Polish minority and positions itself as Christian democratic
. It has 3 seats in the Seimas
, 1 seat in the European Parliament
, and 11 seats in coalition with the Russian Alliance in the Vilnius City Municipality
.
Formed in 1994 from the political wing of the Association of Poles in Lithuania
, AWPL experienced a surge in support in the 2000s, under the leadership of Waldemar Tomaszewski. It increased its representation from under 2% in 2000
to 3.8% in 2004
and 4.8% in the most recent election, in 2008
. In the 2009 European election
, they won 8.2% and one seat. The party's vote is concentrated in the south-east of the country, around the capital, where the Polish minority is located.
In the Seimas, the party sits with fellow centre-right party Order and Justice. AWPL's MEP, leader Waldemar Tomaszewski, sits with the European Conservatives and Reformists
, which includes the Polish Law and Justice
and Poland Comes First
, and the party is a member of the AECR
.
(APL) was a public-political organisation. Thus it had the option to act both in social and political spheres. The Polish community which did not have its own party faced the difficult task of keeping the Association and simultaneously enabling its participation in the political life of Lithuania at the same time. The appointment of the party required a lot of organizational effort. In this situation the central administration of the APL convened 5th Extraordinary Conference of APL on 14th August. During the Conference the decision was adopted to transform the APL into a social organisation and support the efforts of the group initiating the establishment of a party set up under the name of the Electoral Action of the APL. Finally, on 23rd October after the pressure from the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice to remove the word ‘Union’ from the name of the party, it was registered as the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (AWPL). During the Founding Conference of 1994 and 1997 Jan Sienkiewicz was elected as an AWPL president. In 1999 during the 3rd AWPL Conference Waldemar Tomaszewski became the president of the organisation. Moreover, Tomaszewski was elected as a president on the 4th and 5th AWPL Conferences.
The AWPL takes part in various elections – starting with municipal through parliamentary and ending with the elections to the European Parliament
in 2004. During the whole period of its existence the AWPL took part in defense of the interests of the Polish minority in Lithuania. The Union of the Russians of Lithuania
had cooperated with the AWPL in elections, running within a common list in 2004.
in 1992) has secured in the Seimas
at each election. Timelines showing the number of seats and percentage of votes won are on the right.
Centre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
. It represents the Polish minority and positions itself as Christian democratic
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
. It has 3 seats in the Seimas
Seimas
The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...
, 1 seat in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, and 11 seats in coalition with the Russian Alliance in the Vilnius City Municipality
Vilnius city municipality
The Vilnius city municipality , is one of 60 municipalities in Lithuania. It is in the southeastern part of country, in Vilnius County and consists of the city of Vilnius, the town of Grigiškės and some rural areas.- History :...
.
Formed in 1994 from the political wing of the Association of Poles in Lithuania
Association of Poles in Lithuania
The Association of Poles in Lithuania is an organization formed in 1989 to bring together members of Polish minority in Lithuania. It numbers between 6,000 to 11,000 members. It defends the civil rights of the Polish minority and engages in educational, cultural and economic activities...
, AWPL experienced a surge in support in the 2000s, under the leadership of Waldemar Tomaszewski. It increased its representation from under 2% in 2000
Lithuanian parliamentary election, 2000
More than 58 per cent of the 2.6 million eligible voters turned out in the 8 October 2000 Lithuanian parliamentary election to choose from among the 1,180 candidates contesting the 70 seats allocated in the Seimas via proportional representation lists, and some 700 candidates competing for the 71...
to 3.8% in 2004
Lithuanian parliamentary election, 2004
Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania on 10 October 2004. They were won by the newly founded Labour Party and the ruling coalition of Social Democratic Party of Lithuania and New Union ....
and 4.8% in the most recent election, in 2008
Lithuanian parliamentary election, 2008
A parliamentary election was held in Lithuania in two stages on 12 and 26 October 2008. A failed referendum on extending the operation of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant was held at the same time, despite the fact that Lithuania is obliged to close down Ignalina per its treaty of accession to the...
. In the 2009 European election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Lithuania)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Lithuania was the election of the delegation from Lithuania to the European Parliament in 2009. It was a part of the wider 2009 European election...
, they won 8.2% and one seat. The party's vote is concentrated in the south-east of the country, around the capital, where the Polish minority is located.
In the Seimas, the party sits with fellow centre-right party Order and Justice. AWPL's MEP, leader Waldemar Tomaszewski, sits with the European Conservatives and Reformists
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament....
, which includes the Polish Law and Justice
Law and Justice
Law and Justice , abbreviated to PiS, is a right-wing, conservative political party in Poland. With 147 seats in the Sejm and 38 in the Senate, it is the second-largest party in the Polish parliament....
and Poland Comes First
Poland Comes First
Poland Comes First , also rendered as Poland is the Most Important, and abbreviated to PJN, is a centre-right, conservative liberal, political party in Poland. It was formed as a breakaway group from Law and Justice...
, and the party is a member of the AECR
Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists
The Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to AECR, is a centre-right anti-federalist European political party defending broader conservative and classical liberal principles. It consists of twelve parties in nine EU member states and Iceland...
.
History
At the beginning of 1994 the law on social organisations was adopted. According to this law, social organisations had to transform into political parties or simply remain social organizations. Till that time the Association of Poles in LithuaniaAssociation of Poles in Lithuania
The Association of Poles in Lithuania is an organization formed in 1989 to bring together members of Polish minority in Lithuania. It numbers between 6,000 to 11,000 members. It defends the civil rights of the Polish minority and engages in educational, cultural and economic activities...
(APL) was a public-political organisation. Thus it had the option to act both in social and political spheres. The Polish community which did not have its own party faced the difficult task of keeping the Association and simultaneously enabling its participation in the political life of Lithuania at the same time. The appointment of the party required a lot of organizational effort. In this situation the central administration of the APL convened 5th Extraordinary Conference of APL on 14th August. During the Conference the decision was adopted to transform the APL into a social organisation and support the efforts of the group initiating the establishment of a party set up under the name of the Electoral Action of the APL. Finally, on 23rd October after the pressure from the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice to remove the word ‘Union’ from the name of the party, it was registered as the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (AWPL). During the Founding Conference of 1994 and 1997 Jan Sienkiewicz was elected as an AWPL president. In 1999 during the 3rd AWPL Conference Waldemar Tomaszewski became the president of the organisation. Moreover, Tomaszewski was elected as a president on the 4th and 5th AWPL Conferences.
The AWPL takes part in various elections – starting with municipal through parliamentary and ending with the elections to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 2004. During the whole period of its existence the AWPL took part in defense of the interests of the Polish minority in Lithuania. The Union of the Russians of Lithuania
Union of the Russians of Lithuania
The Lithuanian Russian Union , abbreviated to LRS, is a political party in Lithuania which represents Russians in Lithuania. For many elections, the party forms an alliance with the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, which represents Lithuania's Poles.-External links:...
had cooperated with the AWPL in elections, running within a common list in 2004.
Election results
Below are charts of the results that the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (and the Association of Poles in LithuaniaAssociation of Poles in Lithuania
The Association of Poles in Lithuania is an organization formed in 1989 to bring together members of Polish minority in Lithuania. It numbers between 6,000 to 11,000 members. It defends the civil rights of the Polish minority and engages in educational, cultural and economic activities...
in 1992) has secured in the Seimas
Seimas
The Seimas is the unicameral Lithuanian parliament. It has 141 members that are elected for a four-year term. About half of the members of this legislative body are elected in individual constituencies , and the other half are elected by nationwide vote according to proportional representation...
at each election. Timelines showing the number of seats and percentage of votes won are on the right.
| Year | Vote % | Place | Seats | Place | Cabinet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 Lithuanian parliamentary election, 1992 A parliamentary election was held in Lithuania in two stages on 25 October and 15 November 1992. This first round of this parliamentary election was held simultaneously with a referendum on the adoption of the 1992 Constitution of Lithuania. The members of the new Seimas would replace the Supreme... |
2.14 | 7th | 4 | =5th | No |
| 1996 Lithuanian parliamentary election, 1996 A parliamentary election was held in Lithuania in two stages on 20 October and 10 November 1996. The first round of this parliamentary election was held concurrently with a referendum to amend Articles 55, 57 and 131 of the constitution, and a referendum on the use of proceeds from privatization... |
3.13 | 9th | 1 | =8th | No |
| 2000 Lithuanian parliamentary election, 2000 More than 58 per cent of the 2.6 million eligible voters turned out in the 8 October 2000 Lithuanian parliamentary election to choose from among the 1,180 candidates contesting the 70 seats allocated in the Seimas via proportional representation lists, and some 700 candidates competing for the 71... |
1.95 | 10th | 2 | =6th | No |
| 2004 Lithuanian parliamentary election, 2004 Parliamentary elections were held in Lithuania on 10 October 2004. They were won by the newly founded Labour Party and the ruling coalition of Social Democratic Party of Lithuania and New Union .... |
3.79 | 7th | 2 | 7th | No |
| 2008 Lithuanian parliamentary election, 2008 A parliamentary election was held in Lithuania in two stages on 12 and 26 October 2008. A failed referendum on extending the operation of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant was held at the same time, despite the fact that Lithuania is obliged to close down Ignalina per its treaty of accession to the... |
4.80 | 8th | 3 | =8th | No |