1995 Polish presidential election

none Poland presidential 1990 Polish presidential election 1990 2000 Polish presidential election 2000 5 November 1995 (first round)19 November 1995 (second round) 64.70% (first round) 4.07pp 68.23% (second round) 14.83pp center Aleksander Kwaśniewski in Strasbourg, 1998.jpg 285 120 147 6 81 Aleksander Kwaśniewski Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland 9,704,439 51.72% center Walesa.png 159 120 147 0 24 Lech Wałęsa IndependentThe President of Poland traditionally resigns from party membership after taking office. Although Wałęsa was officially an independent, his campaign was endorsed and funded by the Nonpartisan Bloc for Support of Reforms and National Democratic Party (Poland, 1991) pl Stronnictwo Narodowo-Demokratyczne (III Rzeczpospolita) National Democratic Party. 9,058,176 48.28% 300px First round results by voivodeship 300px Second round results by voivodeship 2 President Lech Wałęsa Independent (politician) Aleksander Kwaśniewski Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland Presidential elections were held in Poland on 5 November 1995, with a second round on 19 November.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1491 978-3-8329-5609-7 The leader of Social Democracy, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, and incumbent president Lech Wałęsa advanced to the second round. Kwaśniewski won the election with 52% of the vote in the run-off against 48% for Wałęsa. Background Wałęsa's inauguration Lech Wałęsa was elected and sworn in as President in December 1990, succeeding Wojciech Jaruzelski and leading to the ultimate end of communist rule in Poland. Soon after his inauguration, Wałęsa's presently primary rival Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki resigned and was followed by Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, a liberal and economist relatively loyal to Wałęsa. Regardless of the cabinet changes, Bielecki's time as prime minister would largely follow the course set by his predecessor. 1991 parliamentary election The 1991 Polish parliamentary election saw the Democratic Union (UD) become the largest party, later supplanted by the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) after Aleksander Hall's Conservatives split off from UD. After the downfall of Jan Olszewski's cabinet, and Hanna Suchocka's cabinet which succeeded it, new elections were called. 1993 parliamentary election The 1993 Polish parliamentary election saw SLD become the largest party, winning a plurality with 171 seats — 37.2% of the 460-seat Sejm — while receiving only 20.4% of the vote. SLD governed in a coalition with the Polish People's Party. Approval rating of Wałęsa Opinion polling on the Lech Wałęsa presidency thumb|1000px|center|Graphical summary of approval polls Wałęsa maintained an overwhelmingly negative approval rating throughout the second half of his term, with his approval becoming positive only during a period of increased polarization before the second turn of the 1995 presidential election.1995-11-27 Zaufanie do instytucji publicznych w czasie wyborów prezydenckich https://www.cbos.pl/PL/publikacje/raporty_tekst.php?id=1398 CBOS Jak się wydaje, sytuacja polityczna przed wyborami, tzn. utrzymująca się popularność Aleksandra Kwaśniewskiego uzyskującego w rankingach nieodmiennie pierwsze miejsce oraz postępujący wzrost notowań Lecha Wałęsy, którego część elektoratu coraz silniej postrzegała jako jedynego polityka będącego w stanie realnie przeciwstawić się postkomunistycznemu kandydatowi, spowodowała spektakularny wzrost akceptacji działań obecnego prezydenta. W ciągu dwóch miesięcy liczba ocen pozytywnych, wskazujących na to, że jego działalność dobrze służy społeczeństwu, wzrosła z 23% do 51%. Po raz pierwszy od czterech lat poziom aprobaty działań prezydenta jest wyraźnie wyższy niż dezaprobaty. Jest to wynik porównywalny z tymi, jakie Lech Wałęsa uzyskiwał w początkowym okresie swojej prezydentury w 1991 roku. Oczywiście najsilniej popierają Lecha Wałęsę badani o prawicowych poglądach politycznych oraz osoby głęboko religijne. Ponieważ jest to jego tradycyjny elektorat, to wzrost poparcia, choć duży, nie jest tak uderzający. W stosunku do okresu sprzed dwóch miesięcy największy przyrost aprobaty działań obecnego prezydenta odnotowaliśmy wśród pracowników fizyczno-umysłowych (o 59 punktów procentowych) i umysłowych niższego szczebla (o 42 punkty), pracowników sfery budżetowej (o 37 punktów), osób najmniej zarabiających (o 33 punkty), a ponadto wśród mieszkańców największych aglomeracji (o 33 punkty) oraz w regionach środkowym (o 37 punktów) i północnym (o 32 punkty). Poparcie dla jego działań wzrosło najsilniej wśród osób z wykształceniem zasadniczym zawodowym oraz średnim (odpowiednio o 31 i 30 punktów). Można podejrzewać, że właśnie te środowiska najbardziej ulgowo traktowały błędy czy wady Wałęsy i najłatwiej im było przejść nad nimi do porządku dziennego, jednocześnie zaś najmniej odpowiadał im prezydent wywodzący się z SLD. 2025-08-23 Candidate selection Registered candidates Name Born Last position/job Party Endorsed by center Aleksander Kwaśniewski in Strasbourg, 1998.jpg 214 90 120 5 61Aleksander Kwaśniewski 1954 11 15 dmy (40)Białogard, Koszalin Voivodeship Member of the Sejm (1989–1995)Chairman of Social Democracy (1990–1995) Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland Social Democracy Democratic Left Alliance (Poland) Democratic Left AllianceSocial Democracy All-Poland Alliance of Trade UnionsOPZZ popiera Kwaśniewskiego https://archiwum.rp.pl/artykul/54954-OPZZ-popiera-Kwasniewskiego.html 2025-04-22 Working People's Movement center Walesa.png 120 90 120 0 18Lech Wałęsa 1943 09 29 dmy (52)Popowo, General Government President of Poland (1990–1995) rowspan="10" Independent politician Independent Nonpartisan Bloc for Support of Reforms Nonpartisan Bloc for Support of Reforms Confederation of Independent Poland Confederation of Independent Poland Party of Christian Democrats Party of Christian Democrats Republicans Party Republicans Party pl Partia Republikanie Republicans Party Peasants' Agreement Polish People's Party – Peasants' Agreement Movement for the Republic Movement for the Republic – Patriotic Camp Solidarity Citizens' Committee Solidarity Party of Polish Democracy Party of Polish Democracy National-Democratic Party National-Democratic Party (Poland, 1991–2001) pl Stronnictwo Narodowo-Demokratyczne (III Rzeczpospolita) National-Democratic Party Christian National Union Christian National Union center Tablica Jacek Kuroń skwer Jacka Kuronia w Warszawie (cropped).jpg 100 90 120 2 6Jacek Kuroń 1934 03 03 dmy (61)Lwów, Lwów Voivodeship Minister of Labour and Social Policy (1989–1991, 1992–1993)Member of the Sejm (1989–1993) Freedom Union (Poland) Freedom Union center Jan Olszewski 1993.png 155 90 120 0 30Jan Olszewski 1930 08 20 dmy (65)Warsaw, Warsaw Voivodeship Prime Minister (1991–1992)Member of the Sejm (1991–1993) rowspan="4" Movement for the Republic Movement for the Republic Polish Popular-Christian Forum "Patrimony" Polish Party "Patrimony" Centre Agreement Centre Agreement Polish Action Christian-National Movement Polish Action Third Republic Movement Third Republic Movement center Waldemar Pawlak, Egon Klepsch 1994.jpg 300 90 120 0 50Waldemar Pawlak 1959 09 05 dmy (36)Model, Płock Voivodeship Prime Minister (1993–1995)Member of the Sejm (1989–2015) Polish People's Party Polish People's Party center Tadeusz Zieliński (prawnik).JPG 233 90 120 0 67Tadeusz Zieliński 1926 06 19 dmy (69)Kraków, Kraków VoivodeshipOmbudsman in Poland (1992–1996) rowspan="4" Independent politician Independent Labour Union (Poland) Labour Union National Party of Retirees and Pensioners National Party of Retirees and Pensioners Polish Socialist Party Polish Socialist Party Polish Socialist Party Polish Socialist Party – WRN center Gronkiewicz 1 (cropped).jpg 125 90 120 0 12Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz 1952 11 04 dmy (43)Warsaw, Warsaw Voivodeship President of the National Bank (1992–2001) rowspan="6" Independent politician Independent Labour Party (Poland) Christian-Democratic Labour Party Conservative Party Conservative Coalition Conservative Party (Poland) Conservative Party Christian-Peasant Party Christian-Peasant Party Christian National Union Christian National Union Polish Union Polish Union center Kampania reklamowa przed wyborami do Senatu i Sejmu - Poznań - 004294n (cropped).jpg 253 90 120 13 67Janusz Korwin-Mikke 1942 10 27 dmy (53)Warsaw, Warsaw Voivodeship Member of the Sejm (1991–1993) Real Politics Union Real Politics Union center Andrzej Lepper in his office 2002 (2).jpg 280 90 120 20 110Andrzej Lepper 1954 06 13 dmy (41)Stowięcino, Słupsk Voivodeship Agriculturist Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland Self-Defence Covenant center Jan Pietrzak.jpg 127 90 120 0 16Jan Pietrzak 1937 04 26 dmy (58)Warsaw, Warsaw Voivodeship Satirist Independent politician Independent center 3x4.svg 100 90 120 0 0Tadeusz Koźluk 1930 08 16 dmy (65)Konstantynów, Lublin Voivodeship Lawyer Independent politician Independent center 3x4.svg 100 90 120 0 0Kazimierz Piotrowicz 1954 04 23 dmy (41) Entrepreneur Independent politician Independent center Leszek Bubel i Janusz Rewiński.jpg 367 90 120 27 230Leszek Bubel 1957 01 19 dmy (38)Węgrów, Siedlce Voivodeship Member of the Sejm (1991-1993) Independent politician Forum for Fighting Lawlessness Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland Potential candidatesAleksander KwaśniewskiJózef Oleksy Kwaśniewski 1998.jpg 432 84 108 19 155 centercenter Józef Oleksy 2004.jpg 100 84 108 7 7 88% Chairman of Social Democracy(1990-1995) Prime Minister of Poland(1995-1996) During SdRP's Congress on 13 May, Kwaśniewski secured his party's endorsement for president with 296 out of 300 votes. Some delegates believed Józef Oleksy should become the candidate instead.Woliński Przemysław Transformacja Sojuszu Lewicy Demokratycznej – od koalicji wyborczej do partii politycznej https://repozytorium.ukw.edu.pl/handle/item/4121 A poll conducted in December 1994 suggested 71% of potential SLD voters supported Kwaśniewski as the party's candidate, 7% supported Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz and 16% supported Oleksy.https://www.cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/1994/K_197_94.PDF WYBORY PREZYDENCKIE - PREFERENCJE W GRUDNIU '94 Nonpartisan Bloc for Support of Reforms Lech Wałęsa was endorsed by the Bloc. A sizable part of anti-Wałęsa, reformist activists in the Bloc, like Andrzej Olechowski or Zbigniew Religa split off before the election, the latter forming the Partia Republikanie pl Republicans Party, which supported Marek Markiewicz pl after Religa dissented with his party's intention to run himself as its candidate. Markiewicz dropped out and endorsed Wałęsa before the first round of the election.Paszkiewicz Krystyna 2004 Partie i koalicje polityczne III Rzeczypospolitej Wrocław Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego 83-229-2493-3 Besides his own party, Wałęsa received the endorsement of other parties: a section of the ZChN endorsed him on 18 September, later joined by the rest of the party (though it didn't revoke its endorsement of their original candidate, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz) on 29 October.Dziemidok Bożena 1997 Prawica w wyborach prezydenckich '95. Proces wyłaniania kandydatów pl The Right in the 1995 Presidential Election. The Process of Nominating Candidates https://bazhum.muzhp.pl/media/texts/annales-universitatis-mariae-curie-skodowska-sectio-k-politologia/1997-tom-4/annales_universitatis_mariae_curie_sklodowska_sectio_k_politologia-r1997-t4-s121-138.pdf 2025-04-21 Freedom Union Potential candidatesJacek KurońJanusz OnyszkiewiczHanna Suchockacenter Tablica Jacek Kuroń skwer Jacka Kuronia w Warszawie (cropped).jpg 90 84 108 6 5center Janusz Onyszkiewicz.jpg 100 84 108 3 5center Hanna Suchocka, Prime Minister of Poland 1992-1993.jpg 100 84 108 3 5 Minister of Labour and Social Policy(1992-1993) Minister of National Defence(1992-1993) Prime Minister of Poland(1992-1993) During the 2nd Congress of the Freedom Union, three candidates decided to enter the party's candidate selection process: Jacek Kuroń, Janusz Onyszkiewicz and Hanna Suchocka. Suchocka, despite being the highest-ranking of the former three candidates, came last in the first round. The second round of voting saw Kuroń defeat Onyszkiewicz by a slight margin of 11 votes, and the former Minister of Labour became the party's official candidate for president. A poll conducted in December 1994 suggested 53% of potential UW voters supported Kuroń as the party's candidate, 15% supported Leszek Balcerowicz and 25% supported Suchocka. Movement for the Republic and Centre Agreement Potential candidates (Centre Agreement)Lech KaczyńskiJan OlszewskiAdam Strzemboszcenter Lech Kaczyński, 1991.png 120 84 108 21 16center Jan Olszewski 1993.png 140 84 108 0 26center Adam Strzembosz.JPG 155 84 108 1 23 President of the Supreme Audit Office(1992-1995) Prime Minister of Poland(1991-1992) Chairman of the Supreme Court of Poland(1990-1998) With variously successful attempts of uniting the extraparliamentary right, several possible candidates were presented to lead it in the presidential election, most prominently of those affiliated with the Centre Agreement or its splinters, Lech Kaczyński, Jan Olszewski or Adam Strzembosz. On 27 March, Strzembosz declared his intentions to run for president, gaining the support of conventionally right-wing parties around him - the Centre Agreement, Christian-Peasant Party and Conservative Coalition, as well as the more centrist Conservative Party of Aleksander Hall.Cenckiewicz Chmielecki Kowalski Piekarska Sławomir Adam Janusz Anna 2013 Lech Kaczyński. Biografia polityczna 1949-2005 Lech Kaczyński. Political biography 1949-2005 https://sklep.zysk.com.pl/lech-kaczynski-biografia-polityczna-1949-2005.html Poznań Polish Wydawnictwo Zysk i S-ka 978-83-7785-230-9 Strzembosz, alongside other activists of the right including Jan Olszewski, attempted to legitimise his candidacy at the Convent of St. Catherine. After its collapse in July, Jan Olszewski started an individual presidential campaign under his party, the Movement for the Republic, who the PC considered supporting instead of Strzembosz due to dissatisfaction with him sidelining the party's staffers and platform, especially its tough on crime positions. However, on 4 September the party chose to proclaim Lech Kaczyński as their nominee instead. After failure to gain much support, Strzembosz abandoned his candidacy on 16 September, endorsing Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, one of the pretendents at the Convent of St. Catherine. Both Kaczyński and Olszewski also attempted to court the endorsement of the Solidarity trade union from Wałęsa, but failed, as the union endorsed the incumbent president on 18 October. Similarly to many other of the right's candidates, Kaczyński dropped out of the race on 30 October due to his poor performance and endorsed Olszewski.Kaczyński Jarosław 2016 Porozumienie przeciw monowładzy. Z dziejów PC Agreement against monoauthority. From the history of PC https://sklep.zysk.com.pl/manufacturer/kaczynski-jaroslaw/porozumienie-przeciw-monowladzy-z-dziejow-pc-opr-miekka.html Warsaw Polish Zysk i S-ka pl 978-83-7785-961-2 A poll conducted in December 1994 suggested 13% of potential voters for the extraparliamentary right supported Olszewski as the party's candidate, 11% supported Kaczyński and 6% supported Strzembosz. Another 9% supported right-libertarian Janusz Korwin-Mikke (UPR) and 8% supported Alicja Grześkowiak (PC). Polish People's Party Potential candidatesWaldemar PawlakJózef Zychcenter Waldemar Pawlak, Egon Klepsch 1994.jpg 270 84 108 0 42center Zych, Gil-Robles, 1997.jpg 440 84 108 42 95 Prime Minister(1993-1995) Marshal of the Sejm(1995-1997) Pawlak was selected as the party's candidate. He was challenged most prominently by Józef Zych at the party's convention, however, Zych resigned from seeking the candidacy.PSL zwleka ze zgłoszeniem kandydata https://archiwum.rp.pl/artykul/55596-PSL-zwleka-ze-zgloszeniem-kandydata.html 2025-03-24Waldemar Pawlak kandydatem PSL na prezydenta https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/waldemar-pawlak-kandydatem-psl-na-prezydenta-w-wyborach-2010/gm4hktp 2025-03-24 A poll conducted in December 1994 suggested 68% of potential PSL voters supported Pawlak as the party's candidate, 1% supported Janusz Piechociński and 9% supported Zych. Convent of St. Catherine Potential candidates82% Hanna Gronkiewicz-WaltzLeszek MoczulskiJan OlszewskiAdam StrzemboszHenryk BąkWojciech ZiembińskiRoman CiesielskiJan Paryscenter Gronkiewicz 1 (cropped).jpg 114 84 108 0 10center Leszek Moczulski 1978 1980 (cropped).jpg 126 84 108 0 8center Jan Olszewski 1993.png 140 84 108 0 26center Adam Strzembosz.JPG 155 84 108 1 23border|108x108pxcenter Wojciech Ziembiński.jpg 100 84 108 5 7center Roman Ciesielski (profesor).jpg 100 84 108 5 7center Jan Parys.JPG 155 84 108 0 39 President of the National Bank of Poland(1992-2001) Member of the Sejm(1993-1997) Prime Minister of Poland(1991-1992) Chairman of the Supreme Court of Poland(1990-1998) Deputy Marshal of the Sejm(1991-1993) Anti-communist oppositionist Member of the Senat(1989-1991) Minister of National Defence(1991-1992) In November 1994, the Convent of St. Catherine was organised by Józef Maj pl Józef Maj, coordinating several extraparliamentary center to right-wing parties, like the Christian-Democratic Labour Party (ChDSP), Confederation of Independent Poland, Party of Christian Democrats (PChD), Peasants' Agreement, Polish People's Party (Mikołaczykowskie faction) pl Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe (Mikołajczykowskie), Movement for the Republic, Third Republic Movement, Party of Polish Democracy, National-Democratic Party (Poland, 1991–2001) pl Stronnictwo Narodowo-Demokratyczne (III Rzeczpospolita) National-Democratic Party, Christian National Union, Polish Union (ZP), Solidarity or Rural Solidarity. The Convent's purpose was to serve as a discussion forum for the marginal extraparliamentary parties trying to coalesce into a political force able to cross the 5% threshold and enter the Sejm after the last election's wipeout result for the fragmented parties. In the Summer of 1995, the Convent agreed to hold meetings to select a joint presidential candidate for that year's election. Out of the many candidates that expressed interest in becoming the candidate, the quickest to withdraw was Jan Parys, soon after Roman Ciesielski pl Roman Cieleski (profesor), Wojciech Ziembinski pl Wojciech Ziembiński, Henryk Bąk (politician) pl Henryk Bąk (polityk) Henryk Bąk and Adam Strzembosz stopped being contenders. The remaining candidates, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, Leszek Moczulski and Jan Olszewski, ultimately entered a dispute over the results a ballot held to elect the Convent's candidate, as on the 19th of July, Gronkiewicz-Waltz's, followed by Olszewski's supporters both claimed victory for their candidates. Due to the inability of the Convent to decide on a candidate, it was ultimately disbanded and all three of the remaining candidates ran their own presidential campaigns, though Moczulski ultimately withdrew and endorsed Wałęsa. Gronkiewicz-Waltz later tried to court the endorsements of right-wing candidates like Olszewski and Lech Kaczyński. A group of ZChN activists, including Jan Łopuszański (politician) pl Jan Łopuszański (poseł) Jan Łopuszański and Henryk Goryszewski pl Henryk Goryszewski, titled "Inicjatywa 44", broke away from the Gronkiewicz-Waltz campaign to support Wałęsa instead, being accepted into his campaign staff on 18 September. On 29 October, the rest of ZChN, beyond the Inicjatywa 44 group, endorsed Lech Wałęsa without withdrawing their support for Gronkiewicz-Waltz. Ultimately, she remained with only the concrete endorsements of the SLCh, ZP, PK, KK and ChDSP. Withdrawn candidates Centre AgreementRepublicans Party90% Confederation of Independent PolandIndependent white Lech Kaczyński white Marek Markiewicz white Leszek Moczulski black Bogdan Pawłowskicenter Lech Kaczyński, 1991.png 200 140 180 35 27center Marek Markiewicz.JPG 330 140 180 5 95center Leszek Moczulski 1978 1980 (cropped).jpg 210 140 180 0 13border|180x180px 95% President of the Supreme Audit Office(1992-1995) Chairman of KRRiT(1993-1994) Member of the Sejm(1993-1997) Entrepreneur Endorsed Jan Olszewski Endorsed Lech Wałęsa Endorsed Lech Wałęsa Endorsed Lech Wałęsa Rejected candidates The following candidates registered to run, but failed to cross the threshold of 100,000 signatures required to run in the election: Bolesław Tejkowski (Chairman of the Polish National Community pl Polska Wspólnota Narodowa) Campaign The two favorites throughout the course of the campaign were the leader of the post-communist SLD Aleksander Kwaśniewski and incumbent president Lech Wałęsa. Kwaśniewski ran a campaign of change and blamed the economic problems in Poland on the post-Solidarity right. His campaign slogan was "Let's choose the future" (Wybierzmy przyszłość). Political opponents challenged his candidacy, and produced evidence to show that he had lied about his education in registration documents and public presentations. There was also some mystery over his graduation from university. A law court confirmed that Kwaśniewski had lied about his record, but did not penalize him for it, judging the information irrelevant to the election result. Meanwhile, Wałęsa was a very unpopular president and some opinion polls even showed that he might not make it into the second round. He was challenged by other post-Solidarity politicians of all sides of the political spectrum ranging from liberal former Minister of Labour and Social Policy Jacek Kuroń to conservative former Prime Minister Jan Olszewski. Rather than focusing on his presidency, he focused on his personal image as an everyday man turned international hero that was created for him while he was chairman of Solidarity. His campaign slogan was "There are many candidates but there is only one Lech Wałęsa" (Kandydatów jest wielu – Lech Wałęsa tylko jeden).Dudek Antoni 2023 Historia polityczna Polski 1989–2023 Polish political history 1989-2023 https://scholar.com.pl/pl/glowna/8768-historia-polityczna-polski-19892023.html Warsaw Polish Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar 978-83-67450-66-9 Opinion polls Graphical summary thumb|1000px|centre| Graphical summary of the first round opinion polls:10em Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland solid 5px A. Kwaśniewski Independent solid 5px Lech Wałęsa Freedom Union (Poland) solid 5px Jacek Kuroń #D47034 solid 5px Jan Olszewski Polish People's Party solid 5px Waldemar Pawlak Labour Union (Poland) solid 5px Tadeusz Zieliński #295989 solid 5px H. Gronkiewicz-Waltz Real Politics Union solid 5px J. Korwin-Mikke Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland solid 5px Andrzej Lepper #C4C4C4 solid 5px Jan Pietrzak Confederation of Independent Poland solid 5px Leszek Moczulski #76BBE2 solid 5px A. Olechowski #FF8C8C solid 5px Adam Strzembosz First round Polling firm/LinkFieldworkdateSamplesize KwaśniewskiSdRP WałęsaIN KurońUW OlszewskiRdR PawlakPSL ZielińskiUP Gronkiewicz-WaltzIN Korwin-MikkeUPR LepperS PietrzakINOthersUndecidedsLead 1995 presidential election Election results 17,872,350 35.11 33.11 9.22 6.86 4.31 3.53 2.76 2.4 1.32 1.12 0.26 2.00 CBOS 26-29 Oct 1995 1,281 32 26 8 4 3 5 3 2 3 2Moczulski – 1 12 6 Demoskop 23-26 Oct 1995 995 26 24 8 4 3 6 5 2 2 WprostPienkos Donald 1997-11-04 THE 1995 POLISH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: A STEP TOWARD NORMALCY https://www.jstor.org/stable/25779020 407 / 13 24 Oct 1995 34 24 11 4 6 7 7 10 CBOS 20-23 Oct 1995 1,311 27 23 8 5 4 5 5 2 1 3 4L. Kaczyński – 1, Markiewicz – 1, Moczulski – 1, Refuse to answer – 1 12 4 CBOS 13-17 Oct 1995 1,167 27 22 7 3 4 6 8 2 1 3 1Moczulski – 1 15 5Września Primary pl Prawybory we WrześniAdamczyk Anita Instytucja prawyborów w Polsce. Prawybory prezydenckie (1995–2005) https://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/pp/article/view/14940 2025-04-21 15 Oct 1995 48.8 12.7 9.5 3.9 2.0 6.7 4.3 3.6 2.3 2.3 3.9Pawłowski – 1.2, Moczulski – 0.7, Kaczyński – 0.4, Koźluk – 0.3, Bubel – 0.1, – 0.1 36.1 Demoskop 8-12 Oct 1995 996 28 15 15 17 11 CBOS 6-9 Oct 1995 1,126 27 17 6 6 5 10 12 2 0 2 2Moczulski – 2 10 10 OBOP 18 Sep 1995 26 12 8 3 4 11 12 4Strzembosz – 2, Tymiński – 2 14"Trybuna Śląska" PrimaryTrybuna Śląska, 19 września 1995 https://sbc.org.pl/Content/73513/PDF/73513.pdf 8 2025-04-21 14 Sep 1995 7,144 35.4 15.2 6.8 3.5 0.7 10.3 14.6 3 10.5Moczulski – 3.6, Tymiński – 2.3, Strzembosz – 1.1, "Others" – 2, Invalid – 1.97 20.2 CBOS 8-11 Sep 1995 968 25 16 9 3 5 8 16 1 7Strzembosz – 2, Tymiński – 2, L. Kaczyński – 1 10 9Election called by Sejm Marshal Józef Zych (9 September 1995)https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19951030509 Dz.U. 1995 nr 103 poz. 509 CBOS 1-4 Sep 1995 1,150 21 12 8 3 5 11 15 1 13Olechowski – 5, Moczulski – 2, Strzembosz – 2, Zych – 2 12 6 OBOP 28-29 Aug 1995 1,012 19 7 9 3 3 7 14 10Strzembosz – 2, Zych – 2 28 5 Wprost 27 Aug 1995 23 14 10 2 3 11 12 9 CBOS 3-8 Aug 1995 1,081 24 13 9 3 3 9 12 2 15Olechowski – 4, Zych – 4, Moczulski – 3, Strzembosz – 3 10 11 CBOS 7-12 Jul 1995 1,115 23 14 10 2 3 11 12 2 15Olechowski – 5, Zych – 4, Strzembosz – 3, Moczulski – 2 7 9 Demoskop 7-11 Jul 1995 991 32 16 18 11 10 14 OBOP 8-11 Jul 1995 980 23 9 10 2 4 9 12 1.5 14.5Zych – 4, Strzembosz – 3, Religa – 2, Moczulski – 1.5, Tymiński – 1.5 15 11 Wprost 9 Jul 1995 26 11 12 <1 4 11 12 14 OBOP 24 Jun-3 Jul 1995 1,499 24 11 9 2 4 9 9 21Olechowski – 4, Zych – 4, Moczulski – 3, Religa – 3, Strzembosz – 3 11 13 CBOS 23-27 Jun 1995 1,173 24 13 11 2 4 9 12 1 15Olechowski – 6, Strzembosz – 4, Zych – 3, Moczulski – 1 9 11 OBOP 10-13 Jun 1995 1,100 23 11 11 2 3 9 6 2 23Olechowski – 6, Religa – 4, Strzembosz – 4, Moczulski – 3, Zych – 3 10 12 CBOS 8-12 Jun 1995 1,172 25 12 10 3 3 11 11 2 17Zych – 6, Strzembosz – 5, Religa – 3, Moczulski – 2 6 13 Wprost 11 Jun 1995 20 8 15 3 3 15 <1 36 5 CBOS 26–29 May 1995 1,198 26 12 11 2 4 12 4 1 23Strzembosz – 7, Zych – 5, Moczulski – 3, Religa – 3 6 14 OBOP 13–16 May 1995 1,029 24 8 12 2 3 9 2 26Strzembosz – 8, Olechowski – 6, Religa – 4, Moczulski – 3, Zych – 2 14 12 CBOS 5–10 May 1995 1,203 20 8 15 2.5 3 15 1 29.5Olechowski – 8, Strzembosz – 8, Oleksy – 7, Krzaklewski – 2, Zych – 2, Gawronik – 0.5 6 5 OBOP 22-23 Apr 1995 1,069 18 7 14 1 4 10 2 22Olechowski – 7, Strzembosz – 7, Moczulski – 1, Zych – 2 22 4 CBOS 7-11 Apr 1995 1,177 24 11 15 1 5 8 1 3 24Olechowski – 8, Strzembosz – 8, Oleksy – 6, Zych – 2 8 9 Pentor 8-11 Apr 1995 1,004 23 7 25 5 9 3 20Olechowski – 10, Strzembosz – 7, Krzaklewski – 3 2 OBOP 1-4 Apr 1995 1,123 16 7 14 3 6 1 35Strzembosz – 8, Olechowski – 4, Oleksy – 4 19 2 CBOS 30 Mar-3 Apr 1995 1,145 18 7 14 2 3 11 2 3 31Strzembosz – 11, Oleksy – 9, Olechowski – 6, Zych – 3, Grześkowiak – 2 8 4 CBOS 4-6 Mar 1995 1,208 19 13 10 1 3 16 28Olechowski – 8, Oleksy – 4, Strzembosz – 4, Suchocka – 4, Cimoszewicz – 3, Moczulski – 3, Onyszkiewicz – 1, Zych – 1 9 3 OBOP 3-7 Mar 1995 1,086 16 7 9 3 10 36Olechowski – 7, Oleksy – 4 16 6 33 15 28 9 15Strzembosz – 11, Tymiński – 4 5 CBOS 3-6 Feb 1995 1,223 16 8 14 2 6 13 27Olechowski – 8, Oleksy – 6, Cimoszewicz – 3, Moczulski – 3, Strzembosz – 3, Suchocka – 2, Onyszkiewicz – 1, Zych – 1 14 2 OBOP 3-6 Feb 1995 1,123 20 10 16 5 13 31Olechowski – 9, Religa – 5, Oleksy – 4, Moczulski – 3, Strzembosz – 3, Suchocka – 3, Tymiński – 3, Zych – 1 5 4 CBOS 6-9 Jan 1995 1,230 14 11 10 1 6 7 26Olechowski – 7, Oleksy – 5, Balcerowicz – 4, Strzembosz – 3, Suchocka – 3, Cimoszewicz – 2, Moczulski – 2 21 3 CBOS 2-6 Dec 1994 1,164 17 13 11 1 8 9 32Olechowski – 9, Brzeziński – 5, Suchocka – 5, Balcerowicz – 4, Cimoszewicz – 3, Bugaj – 2, Moczulski – 2, Oleksy – 2 4 CBOS 3-7 Nov 1994 1,237 17 10 6 10 10 41Olechowski – 11, Brzeziński – 6, Moczulski – 5, Oleksy – 4, Suchocka – 4, Balcerowicz – 3, Cimoszewicz – 3, Mazowiecki – 2, Strzembosz – 2, Grześkowiak – 1 6 CBOS 6-10 Oct 1994 1,184 16 10 6 11 9 42Olechowski – 10, Religa – 7, Balcerowicz – 4, Moczulski – 4, Suchocka – 4, Cimoszewicz – 3, Mazowiecki – 3, Oleksy – 3, Strzembosz – 3, Romaszewski – 1 5 CBOS 2-5 Sep 1994 1,219 19 9 3 12 7 40Olechowski – 9, Moczulski – 5, Religa – 5, Cimoszewicz – 4, Skubiszewski – 4, Balcerowicz – 3, Oleksy – 3, Suchocka – 3, Mazowiecki – 2, Strzembosz – 2 7 OBOP 15-19 Jul 1994 966 28 8 5 2 12 7 32Religa – 12, Balcerowicz – 6, Mazowiecki – 5, Moczulski – 4, Krzaklewski – 3, Strzembosz – 2 6 16 CBOS 17-20 Jun 1994 1,197 19 8 4 12 6 32Religa – 6, Olechowski – 5, Balcerowicz – 4, Moczulski – 4, Skubiszewski – 4, Cimoszewicz – 3, Suchocka – 3, Strzembosz – 2, Oleksy – 1 16 7 OBOP exit poll 19 Jun 1994 4,035 22 11 3 13 7 29Balcerowicz – 7, Religa – 7, Mazowiecki – 4, Moczulski – 4, Krzaklewski – 2, Strzembosz – 2 15 9 CBOS 19–23 May 1994 1,209 16 6 4 9 41Olechowski – 7, Religa – 6, Skubiszewski – 6, Balcerowicz – 4, Strzembosz – 4, Cimoszewicz – 3, Moczulski – 3, Oleksy – 3, Bugaj – 2, Suchocka – 2, J. Kaczyński – 1 25 7 CBOS 25-28 Mar 1994 1,230 17 5 2 10 58Religa – 8, Brzeziński – 6, Olechowski – 6, Skubiszewski – 6, Balcerowicz – 5, Cimoszewicz – 5, Moczulski – 5, Suchocka – 5, Oleksy – 3, Bugaj – 2 10 7 27-31 Jan 1994 1,172 17 9 3 11 44Skubiszewski – 11, Olechowski – 7, Suchocka – 7, Religa – 6, Moczulski – 4, Cimoszewicz – 3, Oleksy – 3, Bugaj – 1, Chrzanowski – 1 15 6 Second round Polling firm/Link Fieldworkdate Samplesize KwaśniewskiSdRP WałęsaIN Don't know Abstain Lead 1995 presidential election Election result 18,762,615 51.72 48.28 3.44 Demoskop 9-12 Nov 1995 999 47 53 6 RUN 2 Nov 1995 989 44 51 7 CBOS 9-12 Nov 1995 1,253 42 46 10 1 4 CBOS 29 Oct 1995 1,281 46 48 2 OBOP 24 Oct 1995 1,145 46 44 2 CBOS 2-5 Sep 1994 1,219 42 20 22 Results thumb|300px|Winners of the second round by powiats (1999 borders) Kwaśniewski won with 52% of the vote in the run-off. 65% of voters voted in the first round and 68% in the second round. Aleksander Kwaśniewski Democratic Left Alliance (SdRP) 6275670 9704439 Lech Wałęsa Independent 5917328 9058176 Jacek Kuroń Freedom Union 1646946 Jan Olszewski Movement for the Republic 1225453 #D47034 Waldemar Pawlak Polish People's Party 770419 Tadeusz Zieliński Labor Union 631432 Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz Independent 492628 Janusz Korwin-Mikke Real Politics Union 428969 Andrzej Lepper Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland 235797 Jan Pietrzak Independent 201033 Tadeusz Koźluk Independent 27259 Kazimierz Piotrowicz pl Independent 12591 Leszek Bubel pl Independent 6825 330868 383881 28136332 28062409 Nohlen & Stöver Vote share #ddd 600px 500px Second round Kwaśniewski Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland 51.72 Wałęsa Nonpartisan Bloc for Support of Reforms 48.28 First round Kwaśniewski Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland 35.11 Wałęsa Nonpartisan Bloc for Support of Reforms 33.11 Kuroń Freedom Union (Poland) 9.22 Olszewski Movement for the Republic 6.86 Pawlak Polish People's Party 4.31 Zieliński Labour Union (Poland) 3.53 Gronkiewicz-Waltz Independent (politician) Ind. 2.76 Korwin-Mikke Real Politics Union 2.40 Lepper Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland 1.32 Pietrzak Independent (politician) Ind. 1.12 Others #777777 0.26 Electorate demographics +OBOP exit polls for the firstRaport z badania exit poll przeprowadzonego w dniu I tury wyborów prezydenckich 1995. Cz.1-2. https://public.kantarpolska.com/archiwumraportow/1995/11/12/raport-z-badania-exit-poll-przeprowadzonego-w-dniu-i-tury-wyborow-prezydenckich-1995-cz-1-2 1995-11-12 DMY pl and secondRaport z badania exit poll przeprowadzonego w dniu II tury wyborów prezydenckich 1995 https://public.kantarpolska.com/archiwumraportow/1995/11/19/raport-z-badania-exit-poll-przeprowadzonego-w-dniu-ii-tury-wyborow-prezydenckich-1995 1995-11-19 DMY pl rounds Demographic Second round First round KwaśniewskiSdRP WałęsaInd. KwaśniewskiSdRP WałesaInd. KurońUW OlszewskiRdR PawlakPSL ZielińskiUP Gronkiewicz-WaltzInd. Korwin-MikkeUPR LepperSRP PietrzakInd. KoźlukInd. PiotrowiczInd. BubelInd. Total vote 51.72 48.28 35.11 33.11 9.22 6.82 4.31 3.53 2.76 2.40 1.32 1.12 0.15 0.07 0.04 Exit poll results 51.3 48.7 33.7 33.1 10.0 7.0 3.7 3.7 3.0 2.8 1.0 1.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 Sex Men 51.9 48.1 34.2 32.0 9.6 7.7 4.2 3.3 2.2 3.5 1.1 1.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 Women 50.6 49.4 33.2 34.3 10.4 6.3 3.3 4.1 3.9 2.0 0.9 0.9 0.1 0.1 0.1 Age 18–29 years 54.0 46.0 32.6 28.9 12.7 6.0 3.2 3.3 4.6 5.6 1.1 1.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 30–39 years 51.0 49.0 32.8 31.6 10.6 7.5 4.0 3.6 3.1 3.3 1.2 1.5 0.1 0.0 0.0 40–49 years 54.2 45.8 37.5 30.5 9.7 7.6 3.5 3.9 2.4 2.1 1.0 1.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 50–59 years 49.2 50.8 34.2 37.2 8.2 7.4 3.3 4.0 2.2 0.8 1.0 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.1 60+ years 42.5 57.5 30.5 42.3 7.1 6.7 4.9 3.6 1.9 0.3 0.8 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 Education Elementary 48.3 51.7 30.9 39.8 6.8 5.8 8.5 2.3 1.8 0.9 1.9 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.1 Vocational 52.9 47.1 34.9 36.4 7.0 7.1 4.4 2.3 2.4 2.0 1.6 1.4 0.1 0.1 0.1 Secondary 52.3 47.7 35.9 31.3 9.6 7.5 2.7 4.2 3.4 3.1 0.7 1.2 0.2 0.1 0.0 Higher 48.6 51.4 30.2 24.9 18.9 7.2 1.3 5.9 4.7 5.7 0.2 0.7 0.1 0.0 0.0 Agglomeration Rural 52.3 47.7 33.4 33.4 6.3 7.2 9.6 2.4 2.6 1.4 2.1 0.9 0.1 0.1 0.1 10,000 – 100,000 pop. 53.9 46.1 36.7 31.8 10.9 7.0 1.2 4.1 3.1 3.0 0.7 1.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 >100,000 pop. 47.8 52.2 31.4 33.4 13.3 7.0 0.5 4.6 3.4 4.4 0.4 1.2 0.2 0.1 0.0 Occupation Entrepreneur 42.3 57.7 27.9 38.8 9.5 7.0 1.5 3.2 2.9 6.5 0.6 1.6 0.2 0.1 0.1 Manager 55.9 44.1 38.7 26.6 12.3 7.2 1.9 5.4 3.3 3.1 0.3 0.8 0.0 0.1 0.1 Specialist/Freelancer 44.2 55.8 27.3 28.2 19.6 7.6 1.2 5.3 4.5 4.8 0.3 0.9 0.1 0.0 0.0 Office employees 55.1 44.9 37.4 28.7 10.9 8.0 1.8 5.2 3.6 2.3 0.5 1.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 Service employees 51.1 48.9 35.2 34.9 9.8 5.8 1.7 3.3 3.0 3.3 1.1 1.6 0.1 0.0 0.0 Housewife 46.0 54.0 32.4 38.0 7.4 5.4 5.7 2.0 3.7 2.1 1.6 1.0 0.2 0.0 0.3 Farmer 55.7 44.3 30.0 31.0 3.0 6.8 21.3 1.0 1.5 0.5 3.8 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.1 Workers 53.5 46.5 35.5 35.3 7.1 8.5 2.9 2.8 2.4 2.0 1.4 1.4 0.1 0.1 0.1 Student 50.2 49.8 29.2 26.0 17.5 6.0 1.5 4.6 5.5 7.9 0.6 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.0 Unemployed 60.2 39.8 38.1 27.8 10.7 6.4 4.3 2.6 3.8 2.4 1.6 1.7 0.0 0.2 0.1 Retired 47.0 53.0 33.7 39.7 7.5 6.4 4.0 4.0 2.2 0.6 1.0 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.1 Region North-easternSuwałki, Olsztyn and Elbląg Voivodeships 64.7 35.3 42.3 23.8 12.0 4.7 2.8 4.1 2.7 3.6 1.6 1.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 PomeranianGdańsk, Bydgoszcz and Toruń Voivodeships 49.1 50.9 33.4 36.0 9.0 6.0 1.9 3.6 3.9 3.6 0.8 0.9 0.1 0.1 0.1 North-westernSłupsk, Koszalin, Szczecin and Gorzów Voivodeships 65.7 34.3 47.2 21.8 11.2 4.9 1.3 4.5 2.8 3.1 1.4 0.9 0.1 0.0 0.1 Lesser SilesianZielona Góra, Legnica, Jelenia Góra, Wałbrzych and Wrocław Voivodeships 60.3 39.7 41.8 27.7 12.1 4.2 1.6 4.8 2.5 2.3 1.0 1.0 0.2 0.1 0.0 Greater PolishPiła, Poznań, Leszno and Kalisz Voivodeships 58.1 41.9 37.8 29.9 12.7 3.6 3.7 3.5 2.8 2.8 1.5 0.8 0.2 0.0 0.1 SilesianKatowice and Opole Voivodeships 46.7 53.3 31.2 38.5 10.3 5.6 1.0 4.1 4.2 2.1 0.6 1.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 Lesser PolishBielsko, Kraków, Nowy Sącz, Tarnów, Rzeszów, Przemyśl and Krosno Voivodeships 32.7 67.3 20.8 46.5 8.0 9.3 3.8 3.3 3.6 2.4 0.8 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.1 EasternŁomża, Białystok, Siedlce, Biała Podlaska, Lublin, Chełm, Tarnobrzeg and Zamość Voivodeships 50.8 49.2 29.8 33.5 5.9 10.5 9.9 2.2 2.4 1.9 1.6 1.3 0.1 0.0 0.1 Mazovian-KujavianOstrołęka, Ciechanów, Płock, Włocławek, Konin, Skierniewice and Warsaw Voivodeships 48.3 51.7 31.5 31.2 11.6 9.0 3.8 3.6 3.0 3.6 0.8 0.9 0.1 0.1 0.0 CentralŁódź, Sieradz, Piotrków, Radom, Kielce and Częstochowa Voivodeships 57.9 42.1 37.5 28.7 9.9 7.3 5.0 3.7 2.1 3.0 0.8 1.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 First round presidential vote in 1990 Bartoszcze 77.8 22.2 30.1 11.0 3.4 6.9 36.5 3.9 2.0 0.6 3.3 1.4 0.0 0.0 0.4 Cimoszewicz 97.2 2.8 86.2 1.7 3.3 1.5 1.7 2.8 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.1 Mazowiecki 86.5 13.5 33.9 9.9 32.4 5.1 1.3 6.7 5.3 4.2 0.2 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.0 Moczulski 44.4 55.6 19.5 22.3 9.8 22.1 3.0 5.3 2.7 7.1 2.7 3.0 0.7 0.1 0.2 Tymiński 90.4 9.6 65.7 5.7 6.3 5.1 4.7 3.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 1.7 0.1 0.0 0.2 Wałęsa 26.7 73.3 17.5 53.4 6.8 8.5 3.4 3.0 2.8 2.5 0.7 1.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 Didn't vote 64.2 35.8 41.8 20.7 12.6 5.9 3.0 4.2 3.9 5.0 1.1 1.4 0.1 0.1 0.0 Sejm vote in 1993 BBWR 12.0 88.0 8.8 70.9 5.5 4.7 0.4 2.8 3.5 2.2 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.0 KKW "Ojczyzna" 8.6 91.4 6.3 67.5 2.7 10.1 2.4 1.1 6.8 1.5 0.6 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.1 KdR – – 11.0 25.3 1.4 55.8 0.0 0.6 2.4 1.8 0.0 1.2 0.6 0.0 0.0 KPN 24.9 75.1 12.7 42.0 7.9 19.7 1.0 4.1 3.1 4.9 1.0 2.3 0.4 0.1 0.2 KLD – – 16.0 37.0 23.9 5.2 0.1 3.6 6.5 6.9 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.2 X – – 60.8 7.4 5.8 6.8 2.9 2.6 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.8 0.2 0.0 0.2 PSL 68.7 31.3 36.7 18.0 4.3 6.5 23.4 4.5 2.5 0.8 2.4 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.0 PSL-PL – – 37.8 16.5 4.6 7.9 23.0 3.3 2.3 1.0 2.5 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.0 PC 18.5 81.5 10.2 40.0 5.4 30.9 0.6 3.1 4.8 3.1 0.0 1.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 Samoobrona – – 21.9 27.4 7.5 7.8 5.1 3.8 1.1 1.1 18.9 3.8 0.5 0.0 1.1 SLD 98.1 1.9 89.5 1.5 3.0 1.0 0.6 2.2 0.3 0.8 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 Solidarność 18.1 81.9 12.7 61.9 6.3 8.9 1.8 2.5 2.6 1.2 0.8 1.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 UD 31.5 68.5 12.7 28.7 39.1 4.3 0.2 5.4 5.7 2.9 0.2 0.6 0.2 0.0 0.0 UPR – – 8.7 17.8 6.8 5.7 1.3 3.0 2.9 52.3 0.3 0.9 0.1 0.1 0.0 UP 59.5 40.5 28.7 19.8 19.9 8.5 0.7 14.3 3.0 2.3 0.5 1.5 0.3 0.2 0.1 Didn't vote – – 36.8 26.8 11.6 6.4 2.7 3.9 4.1 4.3 1.4 1.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 Transfer of electorates from the first round of the election Electorates transferred from candidatesin column to candidate in row Didn't vote KwaśniewskiSdRP WałesaInd. KurońUW OlszewskiRdR PawlakPSL ZielińskiUP Gronkiewicz-WaltzInd. Korwin-MikkeUPR LepperSRP PietrzakInd. KoźlukInd. PiotrowiczInd. BubelInd. Aleksander Kwaśniewski 59.5 98.6 3.1 43.2 25.9 67.1 67.4 28.0 37.6 70.4 49.6 – – – Lech Wałęsa 40.5 1.4 96.9 56.8 74.1 32.9 32.6 72.0 62.4 29.6 50.4 – – – Aftermath Lech Wałęsa contested the election results, but they were reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. Notes References Obwieszczenie PKW z dn. 7 XI 1995 r., Dziennik Ustaw Nr 126, poz. 604; Obwieszczenie PKW z dn. 7 XI 1995 r., Dz.U. Nr 131, poz. 636 Category:Presidential elections in Poland Poland Category:History of Poland (1989–present) President Poland