Today marks ten years since the centre-right Civic Platform entered the political arena in Poland.

First established as an association in 2001, it was run by politicians of the party coalition Solidarity Electoral Action (AWS) and the liberal democratic Freedom Union (UW). The party was headed by Donald Tusk, Andrzej Olechowski, and Maciej Plazynski, dubbed the ‘three tenors’.

The Civic Platform gained 65 parliamentary mandates in the 2001 parliamentary elections, thus emerging as the largest opposition party against the ruling coalition of the Democratic Left Alliance, Labour Union and the Polish Peasants’ Party.

The current prime minister, Donald Tusk, became the leader of the party in 2003, with the political group shifting from a democratic association to a party with authority concentrated in the hands of Tusk, following the withdrawal of Olechowski and Plazynski from the party.

Public support for the party had been gradually growing until the 2007 parliamentary elections and last year’s presidential ballot, yet Civic Platform maintained its status a leader in the polls, owing to its strong leadership, claims political analyst Bartlomiej Biskup.

The beginning of the year has not, however, been the best for Tusk, added the analyst, saying that “infighting between factions in the party are coming to light.”

“This year will also be a turning point for Donald Tusk, in terms of defining new goals, to be made clear in the fall parliamentary elections. This also includes Tusk’s situation within the party, namely posts he is yet to take up,” Biskup concludes. (aba/jb)

Source: IAR