POPiS

POPiS was a coalition of Civic Platform (PO) and Law and Justice (PiS) in 2002 Polish local elections and predicted coalition above all in the 2005 Polish parliamentary election. The PO-PiS Committee issued letters to 14 out of 16 voivodeship assemblies and to the municipal council of Rzeszów. In the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, PO and PiS also started from joint lists, but a number of other formations were also present on them (derived from AWS), and the committee was called Podkarpacie Razem. Only in the Masovian Voivodeship did PO and PiS issue separate letters to the regional assemblies. In the elections to district councils, municipal councils (except for Rzeszów) and mayors, the PO-PiS committee was not appointed (these parties often ran separately).The PO-PiS committee obtained 12.11%, winning 79 seats placing 4th.

Following Law and Justice' victory at the 2005 elections, with Civic Platform achieving second place, the two parties attempted to negotiate a coalition agreement, but the negotiations fell through and the coalition never eventuated. In May 2006, Law and Justice instead successfully negotiated a coalition agreement with the controversial Samoobrona and League of Polish Families parties.

Since the failed negotiations between the two parties in 2005–06, the Civic Platform and Law and Justice have become bitter opponents. The Polish political scene has since been dominated by the rivalry of these two groups. The prospects of any collaboration between these two parties in the immediate future appear to be slight.

The Polish word ''popis'' means a 'show' or 'display', and is now used mostly in an ironic context.

In later years, the term POPiS also became a term used by supporters of groups other than PO and PiS, in relation to the dominance of these parties on the political scene, a kind of political duopoly, or as a presumption of a behind-the-scenes deal.

Electoral history

Regional assemblies

See also

* Senate 2001
* Solidarity Electoral Action
* Uniparty
* PSD–PNL Alliance (equivalent union of the two largest Romanian parties)

References

Elections in Poland
History of Poland (1989–present)
Law and Justice
Civic Platform

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