Libertas Poland
Encyclopedia
Libertas Poland is a political party in Poland
. It contended the 2009 European Parliament elections
under a common banner with Libertas Party Limited, the organization founded by Declan Ganley
.
, three LPR
then-members, Cyprian Gutkowski, Daniel Pawłowiec and Sebastian Jargut, registered a party called Lewica i Demokraci, (Left and Democrats). The party was a party-in-name-only designed to frustrate the party of the same name
, which was forced to register itself as SLD+SdPl+PD+UP – Lewica i Demokraci (LiD) instead.
visited Poland
on Friday 9 January 2009 to discuss terms for the formation of the Poland branch of Libertas with representatives from Forward Poland
(NP), PSL Piast and Prawica Rzeczypospolitej
(PR). Ganley insisted that the Poland Libertas party used the word "Libertas" in the title but the party politicians were concerned that the non-Polish name would deter voters. The name "Forward Poland - Libertas" (Naprzód Polsko – Libertas) was suggested as a compromise name should NP decide to ally with Libertas.
On February 1 2009, Ganley spoke to the inaugural Warsaw meeting of the Referendum Committee (Komitetu Referendalnego), an organization advocating that referendums be held prior to treaty ratifications by Poland. The speech was filmed and placed on YouTube
(prolog, part 1, part 2). The meeting attendance was estimated at 700 or 500 and attendees included
Mirosław Orzechowski (LPR
), Zdzisław Podkański (PSL), Krzysztof Filipek
and Danuta Hojarska
(once Samoobrona
, now Party of Regions
) and Antoni Tyszka (UPR
), Konrad Bonisławski (head of All-Polish Youth
) and Krzysztof Bosak
(former LPR
MP).
On February 2 2009 a press conference was given in which the head of the Referendum Committee, former LPR
MP Daniel Pawłowiec, was named as head of Libertas Poland (Libertas Polska, LP), and the Referendum Committee offices at Aleje Ujazdowskie 22/3, 00-478 Warsaw were named as the headquarters of Libertas Poland.
Although the party had been announced, it did not exist under that name at that point: registering a political party in Poland is a lengthy process. Instead, Pawlowiec's Lewica i Demokraci was renamed to Libertas Polska, the new name being registered on 24 February 2009
. In that press conference, Libertas Poland demanded that the Polish government should reduce VAT following the UK example, propose a EU joint energy policy, and reopen the labor markets of Germany and Austria to Polish workers.
and Wojciech Wierzejski
, with Wierzejski resigning from the leadership of LPR to devote his time to the unification of the Polish patriotic, nationalist, conservative and Christian right under a Libertas list.
interview with Declan Ganley
. Controversy promptly arose revolving around LPR's Roman Giertych
and whether LPR were encouraging coverage of Libertas on TVP via Piotr Farfał
the President of TVP and a member of LPR. Hanna Lis, Piotr Kraśko, and Jarosław Kulczycki, the three presenters of a nightly news program, took sick leave in protest, forcing the news to be presented by Marcin Szczepański.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It contended the 2009 European Parliament elections
European Parliament election, 2009
Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
under a common banner with Libertas Party Limited, the organization founded by Declan Ganley
Declan Ganley
Declan James Ganley is a British-born Irish citizen, entrepreneur, businessman and political activist. He is founder and chairman of a political party, Libertas with pan-European ambitions...
.
Pawlowiec's Lewica i Demokraci
Before the Polish parliamentary election, 2007Polish parliamentary election, 2007
Early parliamentary elections for both houses of parliament were held in Poland on 21 October 2007 after the Sejm voted for its own dissolution on 7 September 2007. The election took place two years before the maximum tenure of four years, with the previous elections having been in September 2005...
, three LPR
League of Polish Families
The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
then-members, Cyprian Gutkowski, Daniel Pawłowiec and Sebastian Jargut, registered a party called Lewica i Demokraci, (Left and Democrats). The party was a party-in-name-only designed to frustrate the party of the same name
Left and Democrats
Left and Democrats was a centre-left political coalition in Poland which was created on September 3, 2006, before the Warsaw municipal election of 2006. The coalition's aim was to provide an alternative for both the national-conservative Law and Justice party and the liberal-conservative Civic...
, which was forced to register itself as SLD+SdPl+PD+UP – Lewica i Demokraci (LiD) instead.
Libertas Poland
Declan GanleyDeclan Ganley
Declan James Ganley is a British-born Irish citizen, entrepreneur, businessman and political activist. He is founder and chairman of a political party, Libertas with pan-European ambitions...
visited Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
on Friday 9 January 2009 to discuss terms for the formation of the Poland branch of Libertas with representatives from Forward Poland
Forward Poland
Polish Social Movement Forward, more usually rendered as Forward Poland is a National Conservative and Eurosceptic political party in Poland. It contended the 2009 European Parliament elections under a common banner with Polish People's Party "Piast"...
(NP), PSL Piast and Prawica Rzeczypospolitej
Republic Right Party
The Right of the Republic is a political party in Poland founded by former Marshal of the Sejm, Marek Jurek, on 20 April 2007, after he had left Law and Justice on 16 April 2007, when the Sejm failed to pass a constitutional amendment protecting prenatal life. It positions itself as a Christian...
(PR). Ganley insisted that the Poland Libertas party used the word "Libertas" in the title but the party politicians were concerned that the non-Polish name would deter voters. The name "Forward Poland - Libertas" (Naprzód Polsko – Libertas) was suggested as a compromise name should NP decide to ally with Libertas.
On February 1 2009, Ganley spoke to the inaugural Warsaw meeting of the Referendum Committee (Komitetu Referendalnego), an organization advocating that referendums be held prior to treaty ratifications by Poland. The speech was filmed and placed on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
(prolog, part 1, part 2). The meeting attendance was estimated at 700 or 500 and attendees included
Mirosław Orzechowski (LPR
League of Polish Families
The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
), Zdzisław Podkański (PSL), Krzysztof Filipek
Krzysztof Filipek
Krzysztof Filipek is a Polish politician.Filipek was born in Węgrów. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005, getting 16515 votes in 18 Siedlce district, candidating from Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland list....
and Danuta Hojarska
Danuta Hojarska
Danuta Hojarska is a Polish politician. She was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 10155 votes in 25 Gdańsk district, candidating from Samoobrona Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej list....
(once Samoobrona
Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland
Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland , abbreviated to SRP, is an agrarian political party and trade union in Poland led by Andrzej Lepper. Its platform combines left-wing populist economic policies with religious conservative social policies....
, now Party of Regions
Party of Regions (Polish)
The Party of Regions is a Polish non-parliamentary political party created in November 2007 . The Party of Regions was created by former members of Self-Defence after the parliamentary election in 2007, when Self-Defence support collapsed to far less than the 5% electoral threshold giving them no...
) and Antoni Tyszka (UPR
Real Politics Union
The Real Politics Union , abbreviated to UPR, was a free market-emphasizing conservative political party in Poland. It was composed of conservatives, libertarians and monarchists...
), Konrad Bonisławski (head of All-Polish Youth
All-Polish Youth
The All-Polish Youth is a Polish nationalist youth group, formerly affiliated with the League of Polish Families, with a Catholic-National philosophy. Its agenda declares that its aim is to raise Polish youth in a Catholic and patriotic spirit....
) and Krzysztof Bosak
Krzysztof Bosak
Krzysztof Bosak is a Polish politician. Formerly a member of the Sejm for the League of Polish Families, Bosak is now a member of the Congress of the New Right....
(former LPR
League of Polish Families
The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
MP).
On February 2 2009 a press conference was given in which the head of the Referendum Committee, former LPR
League of Polish Families
The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
MP Daniel Pawłowiec, was named as head of Libertas Poland (Libertas Polska, LP), and the Referendum Committee offices at Aleje Ujazdowskie 22/3, 00-478 Warsaw were named as the headquarters of Libertas Poland.
Although the party had been announced, it did not exist under that name at that point: registering a political party in Poland is a lengthy process. Instead, Pawlowiec's Lewica i Demokraci was renamed to Libertas Polska, the new name being registered on 24 February 2009
Position
On 11 February 2009, Libertas Poland held a press conference concerning the emergency meeting of the European CouncilEuropean Council
The European Council is an institution of the European Union. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council, currently Herman Van Rompuy...
. In that press conference, Libertas Poland demanded that the Polish government should reduce VAT following the UK example, propose a EU joint energy policy, and reopen the labor markets of Germany and Austria to Polish workers.
Affiliates
Libertas attempted to get other parties to affiliate (run candidates under a common list) to it. Libertas's search for affiliates was assisted by Roman GiertychRoman Giertych
Roman Jacek Giertych is a Polish politician; he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education until August 2007. He was a member of the Sejm from 2001 until October 2007, and chairman of the League of Polish Families party.- Biography :Roman Giertych comes from a prominent family of Polish...
and Wojciech Wierzejski
Wojciech Wierzejski
Wojciech Wierzejski is a Polish politician and former Member of the European Parliament for Warsaw with the Liga Polskich Rodzin, part of the Independence and Democracy group, and sits on the European Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs....
, with Wierzejski resigning from the leadership of LPR to devote his time to the unification of the Polish patriotic, nationalist, conservative and Christian right under a Libertas list.
Parties that did affiliate to Libertas
The parties that affiliated with Libertas Poland and the parent organization Libertas.eu are as follows:- Forward Poland and PSL Piast
- Forward PolandForward PolandPolish Social Movement Forward, more usually rendered as Forward Poland is a National Conservative and Eurosceptic political party in Poland. It contended the 2009 European Parliament elections under a common banner with Polish People's Party "Piast"...
(Naprzód Polsko, NP) originally rejected cooperation with Libertas because they felt that Libertas did not reflect their desire for a more independent Poland. PSL Piast (a.k.a. Stronnictwo "Piast") also initially rejected cooperation with Libertas for similar reasons to Forward PolandForward PolandPolish Social Movement Forward, more usually rendered as Forward Poland is a National Conservative and Eurosceptic political party in Poland. It contended the 2009 European Parliament elections under a common banner with Polish People's Party "Piast"...
and because the party did not have a Polish name. Instead, the two parties planned to run their own combined list (Naprzód Polsko - Piast) in the 2009 elections.
- But the two parties eventually decided to affiliate to Libertas and candidates from the two parties appeared on the Libertas lists. The decision to affiliate was not unanimously welcomed within the two parties.
- There was a controversy involving allegations of forged signatures in constituency number 11Silesian (European Parliament constituency)In European elections, Silesian is a constituency of the European Parliament. It consists of the Silesian Voivodeship.- Nomenclature :The relevant Polish legislation establishing the constituencies does not give the constituencies formal names...
and the Naprzód Polsko - Piast list did field candidates in that constituency.
- Partia Regionów
- Partia RegionówParty of Regions (Polish)The Party of Regions is a Polish non-parliamentary political party created in November 2007 . The Party of Regions was created by former members of Self-Defence after the parliamentary election in 2007, when Self-Defence support collapsed to far less than the 5% electoral threshold giving them no...
considered running under a Libertas list. Partia Regionów's president, Bolesław Borysiuk, negotiated cooperation with Libertas Polska and he announced in PR's inaugural Congress that PR's candidates were likely to run under a Libertas list alongside Libertas Polska, and this did in fact occur.
- League of Polish Families
- As of 9 March 2009, League of Polish FamiliesLeague of Polish FamiliesThe League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007....
(LPR) were still considering whether to run under a Libertas list or form their own, either by themselves or with UPRReal Politics UnionThe Real Politics Union , abbreviated to UPR, was a free market-emphasizing conservative political party in Poland. It was composed of conservatives, libertarians and monarchists...
, or Prawica Rzeczypospolitej. But by 19 March, Ganley was distancing Libertas from LPR. Neverthless, Libertas and LPR were still in ongoing discussions on Friday 27 March 2009 about running under a common list. By 21 April 2009, LPR had agreed to affiliate to Libertas and their candidates did run under the Libertas list instead of their own list in the 2009 European Parliament elections.
- Organizacja Narodu Polskiego – Liga Polska
- Organizacja Narodu Polskiego – Liga Polska affiliated to Libertas.
- Zjednoczenie Chrześcijańsko-Narodowe
- Zjednoczenie Chrześcijańsko-Narodowe (ZChN) affiliated to Libertas.
Parties that did not affiliate to Libertas
The parties that considered affiliating with Libertas Poland and the parent organization Libertas.eu, but did not, are as follows:- Prawica Rzeczypospolitej
- Prawica RzeczypospolitejRepublic Right PartyThe Right of the Republic is a political party in Poland founded by former Marshal of the Sejm, Marek Jurek, on 20 April 2007, after he had left Law and Justice on 16 April 2007, when the Sejm failed to pass a constitutional amendment protecting prenatal life. It positions itself as a Christian...
considered Libertas to have Eurofederalist aspects and rejected Libertas accordingly. No Prawica Rzeczypospolitej candidates appeared on the Libertas list in the 2009 European Parliament elections.
- Law and Justice
- Law and JusticeLaw and JusticeLaw 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....
(PiS) personnel were mentioned by Pawłowiec as possible Libertas candidates, although no names were given. Libertas tried to get PiS to affiliate to it but it did not do so, and instead ran a full list of its own, although one of its members (Slawomir Ligecki) did defect to Libertas.
Personnel
| Person | Position |
|---|---|
| Declan Ganley Declan Ganley Declan James Ganley is a British-born Irish citizen, entrepreneur, businessman and political activist. He is founder and chairman of a political party, Libertas with pan-European ambitions... |
President |
| Daniel Pawłowiec | Originally President, later Vice-president. Former LPR League of Polish Families The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007.... MP |
| Artur Zawisza Artur Zawisza Artur Zawisza is a Polish politician. He is currently a member of the Libertas Poland party, of which he is the vice-president.He is a graduate in literature and philosophy from Catholic University of Lublin. In the 1980s he was member of the underground anti-communist Catholic Scouting... |
Vice-president and former PR Republic Right Party The Right of the Republic is a political party in Poland founded by former Marshal of the Sejm, Marek Jurek, on 20 April 2007, after he had left Law and Justice on 16 April 2007, when the Sejm failed to pass a constitutional amendment protecting prenatal life. It positions itself as a Christian... MP |
TVP controversy
On 20 March 2009, journalist Hanna Lis refused to do a TVPTelewizja Polska
Telewizja Polska Spółka Akcyjna is Poland's public broadcasting corporation...
interview with Declan Ganley
Declan Ganley
Declan James Ganley is a British-born Irish citizen, entrepreneur, businessman and political activist. He is founder and chairman of a political party, Libertas with pan-European ambitions...
. Controversy promptly arose revolving around LPR's Roman Giertych
Roman Giertych
Roman Jacek Giertych is a Polish politician; he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education until August 2007. He was a member of the Sejm from 2001 until October 2007, and chairman of the League of Polish Families party.- Biography :Roman Giertych comes from a prominent family of Polish...
and whether LPR were encouraging coverage of Libertas on TVP via Piotr Farfał
Piotr Farfał
Piotr Grzegorz Farfał is a Polish rightwing Politician of the League of Polish Families and former President of the Polish national TV network TVP.- Biography :...
the President of TVP and a member of LPR. Hanna Lis, Piotr Kraśko, and Jarosław Kulczycki, the three presenters of a nightly news program, took sick leave in protest, forcing the news to be presented by Marcin Szczepański.
European Parliament elections, 2009
Libertas Poland started work on/before 20 March 2009 on collecting sufficient signatures to field candidates, although the number and names of those candidates was not specified. By 2 May 2008, a Libertas Election Committee (Komitet Wyborczy Libertas) had been formed and its list consisted of 130 candidates, later falling to 128. The breakdown was as follows:| Party/Movement of which candidates were current/former members |
Acronym | Number of candidates on Libertas list |
Number of first-placed candidates on Libertas list |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.... |
PiS | 1 | 0 |
| Organizacja Narodu Polskiego - Liga Polska | ? | 1 | 0 |
| Zjednoczenie Chrześcijańsko-Narodowe | ZChN | 1 | 0 |
| Radio Maryja Radio Maryja Radio Maryja is a Polish religious, conservative, anti-post-Communist and pro-life Roman Catholic radio station and media group, describing itself as patriotic. It was founded in Toruń, Poland, on December 9, 1991 and has been run since its inception by the Redemptorist rector doctor Tadeusz... |
n/a | 2 | 2 |
| Libertas Polska | LP | 3 | 2 |
| Forward Poland Forward Poland Polish Social Movement Forward, more usually rendered as Forward Poland is a National Conservative and Eurosceptic political party in Poland. It contended the 2009 European Parliament elections under a common banner with Polish People's Party "Piast"... |
NP | 6 | 2 |
| Partia Regionów Party of Regions (Polish) The Party of Regions is a Polish non-parliamentary political party created in November 2007 . The Party of Regions was created by former members of Self-Defence after the parliamentary election in 2007, when Self-Defence support collapsed to far less than the 5% electoral threshold giving them no... |
PR | 6 | 1 |
| Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe "Piast" | PSL Piast | 13 | 1 |
| Liga Polskich Rodzin League of Polish Families The League of Polish Families is a right-wing political party in Poland. It was represented in the Polish parliament, forming part of the cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński, until the latter dissolved in September 2007.... |
LPR | 40 | 2 |
| other | n/a | 57 | 3 |
See also
- Jens-Peter BondeJens-Peter BondeJens-Peter Rossen Bonde is a former Member of the European Parliament with the June Movement. He resigned as an MEP in May 2008. Bonde was elected to the European Parliament in the first election in 1979 with the People's Movement against the EU. He has been re-elected 6 times consecutively...
- Declan GanleyDeclan GanleyDeclan James Ganley is a British-born Irish citizen, entrepreneur, businessman and political activist. He is founder and chairman of a political party, Libertas with pan-European ambitions...
- European Parliament election, 2009European Parliament election, 2009Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history...
- Treaty of LisbonTreaty of LisbonThe Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 was a peace treaty between Portugal and Spain, concluded at Lisbon on 13 February 1668, through the mediation of England, in which Spain recognized the sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza....