Citizens Platform (Platforma Obywatelska) is a Polish conservative-liberal political party, modelled after the two main American parties. It is the first (and as of 2001 the only) Polish party which has chosen candidates for Parliament using a pre-election process.

Founders

It was founded in 2001 by Andrzej Olechowski , Maciej Plazynski, and Donald Tusk.

Political program

Citizens Platform proposes:

• Flat tax rates: 15% income tax and 15% VAT.
• Higher education reform, with equal rights for private and public universities.
• More cash spending should be done by local government, less by central government.
• Privatization and demonopolization.
• Direct elections of mayors and governors.
• Private health care.
• Majoritarian parliamentary elections.
• Labor law reform.
• Narrowing privileges of trade unions.
• Teaching economy in all schools.
• Giving the National Bank of Poland full control over monetary policy.
• Allowing private landlording.
• Lowering the number of MP in the Sejm from 460 to 230, and depriving them of parliamentary immunity.

Leaders

• Donald Tusk - party chairman
• Jan Rokita - parliamentary caucus chairman
• Zyta Gilowska - chief economist

The party 58 deputies in the Sejm. PO is now leading all the polls with 26% to 30% support (PO had 12% in 2001 elections). The rise in popularity is in part the effect of Jan Maria Rokita's participation in the Sejm's Special Inquiry Commission (The Lew Rywin Affair), where he managed to uncover many irregularities in the post-communist SLD run cabinet.

Members of Polish Parliament (Sejm)

MP, constituency

• Łukasz Abgarowicz , Płock
• Dariusz Jacek Bachalski , Zielona Góra
• Jerzy Budnik , Gdynia
• Zbigniew Chlebowski , Wałbrzych
• Andrzej Czerwiński , Nowy Sącz
• Grzegorz Dolniak , Sosnowiec
• Mirosław Drzewiecki , Łódź
• Jarosław Duda , Wrocław
• Waldy Dzikowski , Poznań
• Marta Fogler , Warszawa
• Andrzej Gałażewski , Gliwice
• Zyta Gilowska , Lublin
• Stanisław Gorczyca , Elbląg
• Cezary Grabarczyk , Sieradz
• Aleksander Grad , Tarnów
• Paweł Graś , Chrzanów
• Jerzy Hertel , Warszawa
• Tadeusz Jarmuziewicz , Opole
• Bronisław Komorowski , Warszawa
• Ewa Kopacz , Radom
• Leszek Korzeniowski , Opole
• Józef Krzyworzeka , Kraków
• Elżbieta Łukacijewska , Krosno
• Tadeusz Maćkała , Legnica
• Edward Maniura , Częstochowa
• Andrzej Markowiak , Rybnik
• Piotr Mateja , Katowice
• Konstanty Miodowicz , Kielce
• Sławomir Nowak , Gdańsk
• Alicja Olechowska , Warszawa
• Tadeusz Parchański , Nowy Sącz
• Teresa Piotrowska , Bydgoszcz
• Kazimierz Plocke , Gdynia
• Edward Płonka , Bielsko-Biała
• Elżbieta Radziszewska , Piotrków Trybunalski
• Jan Rokita, Kraków
• Sławomir Rybicki , Toruń
• Jan Rzymełka , Katowice
• Leszek Samborski , Warszawa
• Grzegorz Schetyna , Wrocław
• Krystyna Skowrońska , Rzeszów
• Michał Stuligrosz , Poznań
• Tomasz Szczypiński , Kraków
• Adam Szejnfeld , Piła
• Krystyna Szumilas , Gliwice
• Iwona Śledzińska-Katarasińska , Łódź
• Jan Tomaka , Rzeszów
• Tomasz Tomczykiewicz , Bielsko-Biała
• Donald Tusk, Gdynia
• Eugeniusz Wycisło , Rybnik
• Rafał Zagórny , Katowice
• Krzysztof Zaremba , Szczecin
• Bogdan Zdrojewski , Wrocław
• Stanisław Żmijan , Chełm
• Marek Żyliński , Olsztyn

Citizens Platform Electoral Committee

The Citizens Platform electoral committee consisted of several political parties and groups (Platforma Obywatelska RP being the largest)

• Stronnictwo-Konserwatywno Ludowe , leader: Artur Balazs
• Unia Polityki Realnej, leader: Stanisław Wojtera

Members of Polish Senate

• Stanisław Huskowski
• Wojciech Saługa (since 29.09.2004)
• Robert Smoktunowicz

Members of European Parliament

As part of the European People's Party, Citizens Platform was the leader in the 2004 elections to the European Parliament, with 25% of the votes. This gives her 15 of 54 seats reserved for Poland in the European Parliament.

• Jerzy Buzek, ex prime minister, professor of technical sciences
• Zdzisław Chmielewski, historian, rector of Szczecin University
• Małgorzata Handzlik, publisher and journalist
• Stanisław Jałowiecki , sociologist and politician
• Filip Kaczmarek , historian and journalist
• Bogdan Klich, expert on international politics
• Barbara Kudrycka , professor of law
• Janusz Lewandowski, economist, ex-minister of privatisation
• Paweł Piskorski, politician, ex-mayor of Warsaw
• Jan Olbrycht, politician, ex-mayor of Cieszyn
• Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, economist, former Poland-EU negotiator, vicepresident of the European Parliament
• Jacek Protasiewicz , fililogist and politician
• Bogusław Sonik , lawyer and politician
• Zbigniew Zaleski, professor of psychology
• Tadeusz Zwiefka, journalist

External link

• Official site

See also: Politics of Poland, List of political parties in Poland