Polish presidential election, 1990

Polish presidential election, 1990 (Round 2)

25 November 1990 (first round) 9 December 1990 (second round)

Nominee Lech Wałęsa Stanisław Tymiński Party Solidarity Independent Popular vote 10,622,696 3,683,098 Percentage 74.3% 25.7%

President before election Wojciech Jaruzelski Independent President-Elect Lech Wałęsa Solidarity

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Presidential elections were held in Poland on 25 November 1990, with a second round on 9 December.^[1] They were the first direct presidential elections in the history of Poland. Before World War II, presidents were elected by the Sejm, in 1952—1989 presidency was absent at all (some of its function were fulfilled by State Council of Poland at that time). The leader of the Solidarity movement, Lech Wałęsa, won the first round. However, he did not earn over 50% of the vote, which led to a runoff election. Wałęsa faced Canadian businessman (of Polish origin) Stanisław Tymiński in the second round, defeating him easily.

Background

Wałęsa was an electrician and union leader with the image of an emotional, shirtsleeves populist. Lawyer and former Solidarity legal advisor Mazowiecki appeared as a more respectable and intellectual leader but also as more of a compromiser. The first non-communist prime minister, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, was very popular and widely considered a front-runner. Despite Tymiński's defeat he had not only humiliated Mazowiecki (one of the best-known and most-respected figures in Polish politics), but also forced Wałęsa (who at that time was a national hero) to endure a second ballot.

The reasons for Tymiński's unexpected success remain unclear. His vague promise to create wealth for everyone quickly, supported by his image as a patriotic Pole who had succeeded abroad, was well received at a time of radical political change and a worsening economic situation. There was increasing disappointment with the trench warfare that had broken out within the former anti-communist opposition so a mysterious, honest and patriotic stranger "straight out of nowhere" had considerable appeal.

Another factor was that Tymiński's use of political-marketing methods unknown in Poland at the time. A key element of his campaign was an omnipresent black briefcase, allegedly containing "secret documents" which would destroy his rivals' careers when the time was right. Although the elections passed without the briefcase being opened, its presence attracted constant attention. Tymiński's adversaries adopted a similar strategy; the daily Gazeta Wyborcza (which supported Mazowiecki) reported that Tymiński had had contact with the secret police, a story that was not withdrawn until after the elections. After the election Tymiński tried to establish a new political party, but quickly disappeared from the political scene in Poland.

Candidates

• 

  Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki (Independent)

• 

  Canadian businessman Stanisław Tymiński

Results

^a Although an independent, Cimoszewicz was supported by Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland.

References

• Obwieszczenie PKW z dn. 26 XI 1990 r., Dziennik Ustaw. Nr 83, poz. 483 (Polish)
• Obwieszczenie PKW z dn. 10 XII 1990 r., Dz.U. Nr 85, poz. 499 (Polish)

Elections and referendums in Poland Royal elections 1573 1576 1587 1632 1648 1669 1674 1697 1704 1733 1764 Parliamentary elections 1919 1922 1928 1930 1935 1938 1947 1952 1957 1961 1965 1969 1972 1976 1980 1985 1989 1991 1993 1997 2001 2005 2007 2011 2015 Presidential elections 1922 (9 Dec) 1922 (20 Dec) 1926 (May) 1926 (Jun) 1933 1947 1989 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 Local elections 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 European elections 2004 2009 2014 Referendums 1920 1921 1946 1987 1996 1997 2003

History of the Third Polish Republic 1990–1995 Wałęsa Presidency Round Table Agreement 1990 presidential election 1991 parliamentary election 1993 parliamentary election 1995–2005 Kwaśniewski Presidency 1995 presidential election 1996 enfranchisement and privatisation referendums 1997 Constitution 1997 parliamentary election 2000 presidential election 2001 parliamentary election Rywin affair 2003 invasion of Iraq EU membership referendum Accession to the EU 2005–2010 Kaczyński Presidency 2005 parliamentary election 2005 presidential election 2007 parliamentary election Smolensk Air Crash 2010–present Komorowski Presidency 2010 presidential election 2011 parliamentary election