Law and Justice

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Law and Justice
Law and Justice's logo
Leader Jarosław Kaczyński
Founded June 13, 2001
Headquarters ul. Nowogrodzka 84/86 02-018 Warsaw
Political ideology Conservatism
International affiliation Alliance for Europe of the Nations
Website http://www.pis.org.pl/
Then-Prime Minister Marcinkiewicz, Lech Kaczyński, and Maria Kaczyńska during Kaczyński's swearing in as President of Poland, December 23, 2005.
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Then-Prime Minister Marcinkiewicz, Lech Kaczyński, and Maria Kaczyńska during Kaczyński's swearing in as President of Poland, December 23, 2005.
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Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (pronunciation (help·info)) (English: Law and Justice) is a Polish conservative[citation needed] political party, currently part of the governing coalition. The party was established in 2001, by the Kaczyński twins: Lech, current President of Poland, and Jarosław, current party president and Prime Minster of Poland. Most party members were at one time associated with the now defunct Akcja Wyborcza Solidarność coalition, or the ROP.

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[edit] International comparison

In terms of European politics, the PiS is, with it's conservatism and strong connection to catholicism, most similar to the German CSU or Austrian ÖVP parties. However, from an American perspective, PiS would be more comparable to conservative Democrats rather than Republicans, because it combines social conservatism with a more moderate, or centrist stance on fiscal issues.

[edit] Political program

In comparison with the other major party with Solidarity roots (the PO), PiS projects a more traditional, eurosceptic and populist image overall. It has been claimed that their social policies are based on the anti-socialist Social Magisterium of the Catholic Church [citation needed].


[edit] Economy

The party supports a state-guaranteed minimum social safety net and state intervention in the economy within market economy bounds. It proposes tax decrease to two personal tax rates (18% and 32%) instead of current three (19%, 30% and 40%), and tax rebates related to the number of children in a family, as well as a reduction of the VAT rate (while keeping a variation between individual types of VAT rates). However, it is somehow questionable if the party is going to pursue these tax cuts into the parliament. Also: a continuation of privatisation with the exclusion of several dozen state companies deemed to be of strategic importance for the country. PiS opposes cutting social welfare spending, and also proposes the introduction of a system of state-guaranteed housing loans.

[edit] Communist agents

PiS proposes the public announcement of the names of all special forces agents from the time of the communist Regime.

[edit] Crime and corruption

PiS advocates increased criminal penalties. It postulates aggressive anti-corruption measures (including creation of an Anti-Corruption Office, open disclosure of the assets of politicians and important public servants), as well as broad and various measures to smooth the working of public institutions.

[edit] Constitution, power structures

PiS has presented project for constitutional changes which includes, among others: allowing the president the right to pass laws by decree (when prompted to do so by the Cabinet), a reduction of the number of members of the Sejm and Senat, and removal of constitutional bodies overseeing the media and monetary policy.

[edit] Foreign affairs

The party supports integration with the EU on terms beneficial for Poland. PiS also supported Poland's military presence in Iraq in recent years. Following the election, it declared that Polish soldiers will remain in Iraq for another 12 months.

[edit] Education and health care

PiS supports free education in elementary and secondary schools and free health care.

[edit] Social issues

The party opposes e.g.:

  • legalization of euthanasia, opposed by 48% of Poles with 35% for legalization[1]
  • abortion
  • registration of homosexual marriages, which is opposed by 74% of Poles, however only 44% of Poles oppose registration of homosexual relationships if they were not called "marriages" [2]).
  • legalization of so-called soft drugs.
  • it postulates a return of capital punishment, which according to opinion polls is supported by 77 % of Poles[3].

[edit] Attitude to homosexuals

As mayor of Warsaw, PiS leader Lech Kaczyński refused authorisation for the Equality Parade for gay rights in 2004 and 2005 in Warsaw. The 2005 Parade took place in spite of this. The "Parade of Normality", an anti-homosexual, pro-catholic counter-demonstration was however allowed [4].

Lech Kaczyński wrote in Polish daily "Fakt" that any idea that homosexuals shouldn't work in schools as teachers is completely alien to his thinking [5]. As reported by PAP on September 21, 2005, Jarosław Kaczyński said that homosexuals should not be teachers, but that homosexuals would not be persecuted.[6]. He also said: "The affirmation of homosexuality will lead to the downfall of civilization. We can't agree to it."[7]

On September 22, 2005, another member of PiS, Adam Bielan, in an interview on TVP, made statements indicating that PiS does not yet have a clear policy on whether or not homosexuals should be accepted in jobs in which there is close contact with children.[8]. Gay sources claim, however, that there is a strong anti-homosexual strand in the party's rethoric. [9]

In June 2006, while the party was in power, the state prosecutor announced an investigation of all gay groups for illegal financing, criminal connections, and pedophilia. This came in response to a May 12 letter from Wojciech Wierzejski, a front-bench member of Parliament for and a vice-president of the League of Polish Families (Roman Giertych, the chairman of the League has been appointed minister of education). The League recently became part of the government led by the Kaczynski twins. A copy of Wierzejski’s letter was attached to the state prosecutor’s order. In addition, the Ministry of Justice (headed by Zbigniew Ziobro) has ordered local prosecution offices to investigate if ‘any crimes of a pedophile nature have been committed by homosexual persons’ in their respective areas. [10]

[edit] Equal opportunity representative

On November 4, 2005, the PiS-led government closed down the Office of Government Representative for the Equal Status of Women and Men (polish: Biura pełnomocnika rządu ds. równego statusu kobiet i mężczyzn), replacing it with the newly created Department of Women, Family and Counteracting Discrimination of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (polish: Departament Kobiet, Rodziny i Przeciwdziałania Dyskryminacji MPiPS) lead by Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska.

[edit] Vocal criticism

The party has attracted quite a lot of vocal criticism at home and abroad, especially prominently during the drawn-out pre-election period in late 2005. This criticism was aimed particularly at the party's conservative views. One international example from the election period was a warning by the European Commission warned that if Kaczyński in his role as President continues to oppose gay rights and seeks to introduce the death penalty, Poland could temporarily lose its voting rights in the European Union. [11]

[edit] History

The party was created on a wave of popularity gained by Lech Kaczyński, while heading the Polish Ministry of Justice (June 2000 to July 2001) in the AWS-led government, although local committees began appearing from March 22, 2001). The AWS itself was created from a diverse array of many small right-wing political parties. According to a claim by the US federal government funded International Republican Institute (IRI), the IRI itself played a significant role in uniting these parties to create the AWS, the "parent" party of both PiS and the PO. [12]

In the 2001 elections PiS gained 44 (of 460) seats in the lower chamber of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) with 9.5% of votes.

On June 20, 2002, PiS formed a coalition with the liberal conservative party Platforma Obywatelska (PO) for local elections (excepting the Mazowsze region). This coalition obtained a poor result (16% of votes), which was caused largely by a lack of television advertising. Another important factor was that PO supporters did not necessarily want to vote for PiS candidates (opting to vote for the UW or SLD, instead), while PiS supporters opted for LPR candidates. In effect, PiS presently forms government coalitions in only 4 out of 16 regions. At the same time Lech Kaczyński was elected the president of Warsaw.

In the 2004 European Parliamentary elections, the party came in third, receiving 12.67% of votes and 7 of 54 Polish seats in the European Parliament. They entered the Union for a Europe of Nations coalition.

For most of 2004 and 2005, opinion polls put PiS at the second or third position, with the PO being in the lead. In the parliamentary election in 2005 PiS unexpectedly took first place with 27% of votes, which gave it 155 out of 460 seats in the Sejm and 49 out of 100 seats in the Senat.

A coalition of PO and PiS had been believed for several years to be the most likely government to form after the election. However, the putative coalition parties had a falling out, related to fierce competition between theim during the presidential election, scheduled two weeks later. In the end, Lech Kaczyński won the second round of the presidential election on October 23, 2005 with 54% of the vote, ahead of Donald Tusk, the PO candidate. He gathered particularly strong support in southern and eastern Poland, in rural and small-town constituencies.

In the end, on November 1, 2005, PiS went on to form a minority government headed by Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz as premier. This has had tacit support from the populist Samoobrona and LPR parties.

"If my brother becomes president I will not become prime minister even if my party wins the elections" - Jarosław Kaczyński

Before the election, and after forming government, PiS has been supported by the controversial radio station Radio Maryja which has strong influence among deeply conservative voters. Some prominent PiS politicians have appeared on its broadcasts, drawing widespread criticism from most of the political spectrum.

In July 2006, Marcinkiewicz tendered his resignation as prime minister, following reports of a rift with Jarosław Kaczyński and Jarosław formed a new government and was sworn in as PM on July 14 by the president, his twin brother.

[edit] Prominent members

Main article: Members Law and Justice

[edit] Party Chairmen

[edit] Marcinkiewicz government

From October 31, 2005 to July 14, 2006, unless otherwise specified

Main article: Marcinkiewicz government

[edit] Kaczyński government

(From July 14, 2006)

Main article: Kaczyński government

MP, constituency


[edit] Members of the European Parliament

The PiS MEPs belong to the Union for a Europe of Nations coalition.

[edit] Trivia

  • Lech and Jarosław Kaczyński, the founders of the party, are identical twins.


PiS's mascot
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PiS's mascot

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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