Alliance (Poland)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Agreement (), formally known as Jarosław Gowin's Agreement (), is a
centre-right Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing politics, right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalis ...
political party in Poland. It was founded in November 2017, led by the former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and Higher Education
Jarosław Gowin Jarosław Adam Gowin (born 4 December 1961) is a Polish conservative politician and editor. Gowin served as Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk between 2011 and 2013, and as Minister of Science and Higher Education ...
, as an expansion of Gowin's previous party,
Poland Together Poland Together (, PR or PRZP), formally Poland Together United Right (''Polska Razem Zjednoczona Prawica''), was a conservative-liberal political party in Poland. The party was founded on 7 December 2013 by former Minister of Justice and Civic ...
, before changing its name. It was allied with the ruling party of Poland,
Law and Justice Law and Justice ( , PiS) is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Refo ...
(PiS), as part of the United Right until August 2021. Its current leader is
Stanisław Derehajło Stanisław Derehajło (born March 23, 1972 in Bielsk Podlaski) is a Polish local government official, teacher and farmer, in 1998–2017 Wójt (mayor) of the Boćki Commune, in 2018–2021 vice-marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, then until 202 ...
.


History


Foundation

On 13 October 2017, Gowin announced at a press conference regarding ex-
Kukiz'15 Kukiz'15 is a right-wing populist political party in Poland led by Paweł Kukiz. It was formed in 2015 as a loose movement that registered itself as an association in 2016 and later as a political party in 2020. Initially, it was connected wit ...
and Republican MP Magdalena Błeńska's decision to join Poland Together (''Polska Razem'') that it would be transformed into a new party including elements of the Republicans, former members of
Janusz Korwin-Mikke Janusz Ryszard Korwin-Mikke (; born 27 October 1942), also known by his initials JKM or simply as Korwin, is a Polish far-right politician, paleolibertarian and author. He was a member of the European Parliament from 2014 until 2018. He was the ...
's
Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
party, and local politicians at its 4 November congress. According to Poland Together members, the decision was partly taken to strengthen Gowin's position within the United Right and to avoid confusion with the left-wing party
Left Together (, meaning 'Together Party') is a Left-wing politics, left-wing list of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. It was founded in 2015, and from 2019 to 2024 the party's official name was (, 'Left Together'). The party was one ...
(''Lewica Razem''). Several days later, it was revealed that the ex-
Civic Platform The Civic Platform (, PO)The party is officially the Civic Platform of the Republic of Poland (''Platforma Obywatelska Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''). is a Centre-right politics, centre-right liberal conservative political party in Poland. Since ...
mayor of
Kalisz Kalisz () is a city in central Poland, and the second-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, with 97,905 residents (December 2021). It is the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of Gr ...
, Grzegorz Sapiński, and the Christian Local Government Movement founded by former
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
mayor
Jerzy Kropiwnicki Jerzy Janusz Kropiwnicki (born 5 July 1945 in Częstochowa) is a Polish right-wing politician, member of Law and Justice (Poland), Law and Justice party. He was leader of small party Christian-National Union (Zjednoczenie Chrześcijańsko-Nar ...
would also join the new party. Ex-
Polish People's Party The Polish People's Party (, PSL) is a conservative political party in Poland. It is currently led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Its history traces back to 1895, when it held the name People's Party, although its name was changed to the pre ...
senator Józef Zając joined Poland Together on 30 October in anticipation of the new party's official launch. At the 4 November Poland Together congress, the name of the new party was revealed as ''Porozumienie'' (Agreement). Gowin announced that Błeńska, Zając, and ex- Modern MP Zbigniew Gryglas would join the Alliance, with Błeńska and Gryglas becoming deputy leaders, as well as the creation of programmatic, local government, and economic councils to advise the leadership of the new party. On 9 January 2018, in terms of the reconstruction in the
Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...
's composition, Jadwiga Emilewicz, a Vice Chair of the Agreement, became the head of the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology, and Anna Streżyńska, a politician sympathizing with Gowin's party, was recalled as Minister of Digital Affairs. 12 days later, the deputy Mieczysław Baszko entered the Agreement and simultaneously relinquished his membership of the
Polish People's Party The Polish People's Party (, PSL) is a conservative political party in Poland. It is currently led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. Its history traces back to 1895, when it held the name People's Party, although its name was changed to the pre ...
parliamentary club. On 6 February, due to the legal court's objection to registering the name "Agreement", the leadership of the party suggested that "Jarosław Gowin's Agreement" be the full name of the movement, which was not legally approved until 22 June 2018.


Expansion

In March 2018, Vice chairman Marek Zagórski, a deputy who had thus far served the government as Secretary of State in the Ministry for Digital Affairs, renounced his membership of the party, shortly entering the Law and Justice due to assuming the office of Minister for Digital Affairs itself. In April 2018, six months prior to the following
local elections Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...
, in addition to
Jakub Banaszek Jakub Michał Banaszek (born 24 June 1991 in Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Bia ...
being announced to candidate for the office of city mayor in
Chełm Chełm (; ; ) is a city in eastern Poland in the Lublin Voivodeship with 60,231 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is located to the south-east of Lublin, north of Zamość and south of Biała Podlaska, some from the border with Ukraine. The ...
, the United Right reported two candidates of Gowin's party to run for mayoralty of voivodeship capital cities — Jacek Żalek (
Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Biał ...
) and Michał Wypij (
Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ) is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with powiat rights, city with county rights. The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents Olsz ...
). Ultimately, Jakub Banaszak was the only candidate to assume the office of Mayor, even though
Michał Zalewski Michał Zalewski (born 19 January 1981), also known by the user name lcamtuf, is a computer security expert and " white hat" hacker from Poland. He is a former Google Inc. employee (until 2018), and currently the VP of Security Engineering at ...
and Andrzej Wnuk, politicians sympathizing with the party with no formal membership, obtained offices in
Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
and
Zamość Zamość (; ; ) is a historical city in southeastern Poland. It is situated in the southern part of Lublin Voivodeship, about from Lublin, from Warsaw. In 2021, the population of Zamość was 62,021. Zamość was founded in 1580 by Jan Zamoyski ...
, respectively. In total, two other members of the party became heads of urban-rural communes, with seven other candidates being elected heads of rural communes. Simultaneously, the Agreement obtained 19 seats in 11 out of 16 Regional Assembles. Released by reason of a Law and Justice deputy winning a local election, one seat in the ''
Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...
'' was given to
Kamil Bortniczuk Kamil Bortniczuk (born 11 June 1983) is a Polish politician, member of the VIII and IX Sejm as a member of the Agreement political party, within the Law and Justice parliamentary club as part of the United Right coalition. He represents the Op ...
, an activist of the Agreement. In
2019 European Parliament election The 2019 European Parliament election was held in the European Union (EU) between 23 and 26 May 2019. It was the ninth parliamentary election since the first direct elections in 1979. A total of 751 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) we ...
, representatives of the Agreement were placed on the Law and Justice electoral list one more time, receiving one point in each constituency. Adam Bielan, a Vice Marshal of the Senate, was given the first place in a district covering an extensive territory of
Masovian Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship or Mazowieckie Province (, ) and any variation thereof, is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in east-central Poland, containing Poland's capital Warsaw. Masovian Voivodeship has an area of and had a 2019 po ...
, resulting in him being the only party member to obtain a seat. Candidacies put up by Gowin's party took 2.25 per cent of the vote, and therefore 4.95% of the vote cast for the Law and Justice. In July 2019, candidacies for the ''Sejm'' reported by the Agreement were registered in every constituency on the Law and Justice's lists, in addition to five party members running for senatorial seats in single-member districts. In total, 18 members of Gowin's party sat in the lower house, and two out of five took seats in the upper.


Ruling coalition

In November, the Agreement signed up another coalition agreement with the Law and Justice and the United Poland. Representatives of the party entered the 2nd cabinet of Mateusz Morawiecki, assuming the ministerial offices belonging to them in the previous composition. Jarosław Gowin was appointed one of three Deputy Prime Ministers and Jadwiga Emilewicz Minister of Development. Moreover, the number of party members serving as Secretaries and Undersecretaries of State in ministries notably expanded. In the 2020 presidential election, the Agreement supported the incumbent President
Andrzej Duda Andrzej Sebastian Duda (born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician who has served as the sixth president of Poland since 2015. Before becoming president, he served as a Member of the Sejm from 2011 to 2014 and before becoming Member of ...
's candidacy, and activists of the party, inter alia Adam Bielan, entered his electoral committee. In April 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Agreement's leadership strongly insisted on implementing an appropriate amendment to the
Constitution of the Republic of Poland The Constitution of the Republic of Poland ( or ''Konstytucja RP'' for short) is the supreme law of the Republic of Poland, which is also commonly called the Third Polish Republic ( or ''III RP'' for short) in contrast with the preceding system ...
so that Andrzej Duda's term would be prolonged by two years, with no chance for re-election in return. The Agreement's MPs issued appeals for all the parliamentary parties' approval, invoking the legal requirement of a 2/3
supermajority A supermajority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority rules in a democracy can help to prevent a majority from eroding fun ...
to enact their postulate. Despite the Law and Justice's positive recognition, Jarosław Gowin announced his resignation from his ministerial functions as a result of no political support for the postponement from any of the opposite
clubs Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Club (magazine), ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands a ...
, simultaneously asserting that the coalition be maintained. On the recommendation of his party, the office of Deputy Prime Minister devolved upon Jadwiga Emilewicz, one of the Vice Chairs of the Agreement. Within following days, Wojciech Murdzek assumed the temporarily vacant position of Minister of Science and Higher Education.


Internal conflict

In 2020 and 2021, the United Right coalition was affected by actions of rebellious MPs. It by itself was caused by results of 2019 parliamentary elections, when Law and Justice was reduced to 199 MPs and United Poland and Agreement increased their tallies to 18 MPs each. This led to notion that is enough for just some MPs in one of constituent parties (and not a whole party) to rebel and bring down the government. This has happened on several occasions, although never managing to dissolve the alliance itself. The first such instances were during the preparations to 2020 presidential election. The Agreement Party did not support the Law and Justice proposal on postal voting in these elections. A second crucial instance was when near-total abortion ban was drafted, which originally was brought by United Poland, but the Law and Justice and the Agreement party were initially sceptical about the notion. The third major rift was during the proposed changes to animal rights' which proposed no animal breeding for fur production and energy policies which proposed speeding up the reduction of coal production and the sudden suspension of Ostrołęka power plant construction. The Law and Justice had proposed the opposite policies in their election manifestos, but due to pressure from leader of the party,
Jarosław Kaczyński Jarosław Aleksander Kaczyński (born 18 June 1949) is a Polish politician. He co-founded the Law and Justice (PiS) party in 2001 with his twin brother, Lech Kaczyński, and has served as its leader since 2003. He served as Prime Minister of Pola ...
, and the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
, the policies were changed. By the beginning of February 2021, conflict between Adam Bielan and Gowin was reported. Bielan disputed the party leadership election results, which led to Gowin's reelection. Bielan and four other members later were expelled from the party. In June 2021, the faction resurrected The Republicans. Karol Rabenda announced that some Agreement members will join the Republican association and restructure it into a party, and that the newly formed party will subsequently join the governing coalition as a full member. In response, the Law and Justice chairman Jarosław Kaczyński made a speech praising the new reformed party.


Opposition and coalition exit

After
Jarosław Gowin Jarosław Adam Gowin (born 4 December 1961) is a Polish conservative politician and editor. Gowin served as Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk between 2011 and 2013, and as Minister of Science and Higher Education ...
's scepticism with the "Polish Deal" proposal (an economic recovery plan for countering the
COVID-19 recession The COVID-19 recession was a global economic recession caused by COVID-19 lockdowns. The recession began in most countries in February 2020. After a year of global economic slowdown that saw stagnation of economic growth and consumer activit ...
in Poland) and media law changes that would have affected
TVN24 TVN24 is a Polish 24-hour commercial news channel, launched on 9 August 2001. Being a part of the TVN Network, TVN24 has been owned since 2018 by US-based media company Warner Bros. Discovery ( Discovery, Inc. before 2022). It gained broade ...
, Gowin was publicly removed from his position as deputy prime minister, resulting in realignment of the composition of the United Right coalition. As result, Adam Bielan's "Agreement rebels" new party joined the coalition as replacements. The remaining Kukiz '15 MP's led by
Paweł Kukiz Paweł Piotr Kukiz (born 24 June 1963) is a Polish politician, singer and actor. He is the leader of Kukiz'15, a non-partisan political alliance campaigning for single-member districts, and was a candidate in the 2015 presidential election, in wh ...
have declared their support for the coalition by signing an agreement without formally joining. On 3 September 2021, five more former Agreement MPs decided to continue their support of
Law and Justice Law and Justice ( , PiS) is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Refo ...
government after the remainder of the party went into opposition, creating Renew PR political party under the leadership of
Marcin Ociepa Marcin Michał Ociepa (born 21 October 1984 in Opole) is a Polish politician. He has been a member of the Sejm since the 2019 election after being elected on the Law and Justice list. He has been a member and Vice President of the Agreement A ...
. The other four MPs were
Andrzej Gut-Mostowy Andrzej Józef Gut-Mostowy (born 30 October 1960) is a Polish politician. He was elected to the Sejm on 25 September 2005, getting 11,282 votes in the 14 Nowy Sącz district, starting from the Civic Platform list. Reelected 2007, 2011 and 2015. ...
, Wojciech Murdzek, Grzegorz Piechowiak and
Anna Dąbrowska-Banaszek Anna Dąbrowska-Banaszek (born 14 April 1961 in Chełm) is a Polish doctor, and member of the IX Sejm. She is associated with Agreement Agreement may refer to: Agreements between people and organizations * Gentlemen's agreement, not enforceab ...
. On 22 June 2022, Andrzej Sośnierz was thrown out of the party after his parliamentary group " Polish Issues" () signed an agreement with
Law and Justice Law and Justice ( , PiS) is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Refo ...
. Sośnierz, along with Paweł Szramka and leader of the group Agnieszka Ścigaj confirmed their participation in the ruling coalition as independent MP's. On 7 February 2023, the leader of the
AGROunia The AGROunion (, AU) is a left-wing politics, left-wing agrarian socialism, agrarian socialist political movement in Poland formed by Michał Kołodziejczak. AGROunia criticizes the actions of current politicians in relation to the state of agric ...
,
Michał Kołodziejczak Michał Kołodziejczak (born 14 September 1988) is a Polish politician and founder of AGROunia. He served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture from 2023 to 2025. Early life Kołodziejczak started working as a farmer after graduating from Kazimier ...
, and the president of the Agreement party, Magdalena Sroka, announced their intention to merge AGROunia with the Agreement into a joint political party. The party's youth wing, the Young Right, opposed the decision and broke off cooperation with the party. As Young Poland Association it became part of the
Polish Coalition The Polish Coalition (, KP) is a political alliance in Poland. It is led by the Polish People's Party. It was formed in 2019. In the 2019 parliamentary election, the Polish Coalition placed fourth, winning 30 seats in total. Its 2020 preside ...
. On 23 May 2023, the cooperation between Agreement and AGROunia was suspended. On 20 July 2023, Agreement MPs have joined the parliamentary club of
Polish Coalition The Polish Coalition (, KP) is a political alliance in Poland. It is led by the Polish People's Party. It was formed in 2019. In the 2019 parliamentary election, the Polish Coalition placed fourth, winning 30 seats in total. Its 2020 preside ...
(except for Jarosław Gowin, who decided not to run in the next election). Another Agreement member, Stanisław Derehajło, decided to run from
Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
list. After the 2023 election, only Magdalena Sroka was elected as an Agreement MP from
Third Way The Third Way is a predominantly centrist political position that attempts to reconcile centre-right and centre-left politics by advocating a varying synthesis of Right-wing economics, right-wing economic and Left-wing politics, left-wing so ...
list (
coalition committee A coalition committee (, also called the steering committee) is an informal committee, body composed of leading figures from the Coalition government, coalition parties and the government. Coalition committees, in contrast to parliamentary committee ...
of
PSL PSL may refer to: Sport *Pakistan Super League, a Twenty20 cricket league *Palau Soccer League, top division association football league in Palau *Pilipinas Super League, a professional basketball league *Philippine Super Liga, a defunct profes ...
-
Polish Coalition The Polish Coalition (, KP) is a political alliance in Poland. It is led by the Polish People's Party. It was formed in 2019. In the 2019 parliamentary election, the Polish Coalition placed fourth, winning 30 seats in total. Its 2020 preside ...
and
Poland 2050 Szymon Hołownia's Poland 2050 (, PL2050) is a centrist to centre-right political party in Poland. It was founded as a social movement in 2020, shortly after that year's presidential election, and was officially registered as a political party ...
). Józef Zając was elected as a senator with support of
Senate Pact 2023 The Senate Pact 2023 () is an electoral alliance among the Civic Coalition (KO), the New Left (NL), the Polish People's Party (PSL) and Poland 2050 for the 2023 Polish Senate election. The accord was agreed on 28 February 2023 by party repre ...
and has joined Third Way Senate group. Shortly after nomination Sroka decided to leave the party (like many other Agreement dissidents inside the
Polish Coalition The Polish Coalition (, KP) is a political alliance in Poland. It is led by the Polish People's Party. It was formed in 2019. In the 2019 parliamentary election, the Polish Coalition placed fourth, winning 30 seats in total. Its 2020 preside ...
) to join PSL. Since then, the party is led by Stanisław Derehajło. In the 2024 regional election, Stanisław Derehajło was elected as a sole representative of
Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
in Podlaskie Sejmik.


Ideology

The Agreement sits on the
centre-right Centre-right politics is the set of right-wing politics, right-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. It is commonly associated with conservatism, Christian democracy, liberal conservatism, and conservative liberalis ...
on the political spectrum. It has been described as
liberal-conservative Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by libe ...
, and it supports
economically liberal Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism, ...
policies. According to its program, it defines as a pro-European Union party, and as a "modern conservative" party, with strong emphasis on
economic liberalism Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberalism ...
and reducing bureaucracy, and claims to be moderately conservative on social and cultural issues. It believes that local government should be encouraged and supported by the central government.


Structure and members

The leadership of the Agreement is classified into the Central Committee, headed by the Presidium, and the Central Covenant.
Voivodship A voivodeship ( ) or voivodate is the area administered by a voivode (governor) in several countries of central and eastern Europe. Voivodeships have existed since medieval times and the area of extent of voivodeship resembles that of a duchy in ...
subdivisions were rescinded during the reorganization in 2017 in favor of ones coinciding with ''Sejm'' constituencies.


Presidium of the Central Committee

* Chair:
Stanisław Derehajło Stanisław Derehajło (born March 23, 1972 in Bielsk Podlaski) is a Polish local government official, teacher and farmer, in 1998–2017 Wójt (mayor) of the Boćki Commune, in 2018–2021 vice-marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, then until 202 ...
* Vice Chair: Vacancy * Secretary General: Vacancy * Treasurer: Jacek Hecht * Spokesperson: Vacancy * President of the Central Covenant:
Stanisław Derehajło Stanisław Derehajło (born March 23, 1972 in Bielsk Podlaski) is a Polish local government official, teacher and farmer, in 1998–2017 Wójt (mayor) of the Boćki Commune, in 2018–2021 vice-marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, then until 202 ...
* Other members: **
Jarosław Gowin Jarosław Adam Gowin (born 4 December 1961) is a Polish conservative politician and editor. Gowin served as Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Prime Minister Donald Tusk between 2011 and 2013, and as Minister of Science and Higher Education ...


Senators

* Józef Zając (formally elected as an independent with support of
Senate Pact 2023 The Senate Pact 2023 () is an electoral alliance among the Civic Coalition (KO), the New Left (NL), the Polish People's Party (PSL) and Poland 2050 for the 2023 Polish Senate election. The accord was agreed on 28 February 2023 by party repre ...
; independent member of the
Third Way The Third Way is a predominantly centrist political position that attempts to reconcile centre-right and centre-left politics by advocating a varying synthesis of Right-wing economics, right-wing economic and Left-wing politics, left-wing so ...
group)


Election results


Presidential


Sejm


Senate


References


External links


Official website
{{Polish political parties 2017 establishments in Poland Conservative parties in Poland Catholic political parties Liberal conservative parties in Poland Political parties established in 2017 Pro-European political parties in Poland Right-wing parties in Europe