At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Poland

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Marek BELKA
• Assembly: Poland has a bicameral National Assembly (Zgromadzenie Narodowe) consisting of the upper house (Senat) with 100 seats and the lower house (Sejm) with 460 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by direct vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the upper house (Senat) 100 members are elected by majority vote to serve 4-year terms. In the lower house (Sejm) 460 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 4-year terms.

Main Candidates in the Second Round of the Presidential race:

• Lech KACZYNSKI
  • Party: Law and Justice (PiS)
• Donald TUSK
  • Party: Civic Platform (PO)

Main Candidates in the First Round of the Presidential race:

• Donald TUSK
  • Party: Civic Platform (PO)
• Lech KACZYNSKI
  • Party: Law and Justice (PiS)
• Andrzej LEPPER
  • Party: Self-Defense Party (SO)
• Marek BOROWSKI
  • Party: Social Democratic Party of Poland (SDPL)
• Jaroslaw KALINOWSKI
  • Party: Polish Peasant Party (PSL)
• Janusz KORWIN-MIKKE
  • Party: Union of Real Politics
• Henryka BOCHNIARZ
  • Party: Democratic Party
• Liwiusz ILASZ
  • Party: Independent Candidate
• Stanislaw TYMINSKI
  • Party: Independent Candidate
• Leszek BUBEL
  • Party: Polish National Party
• Jan PYSZKO
  • Party: Polish-Polonian Organisation of Polish Nation - Polish League
• Adam SLOMKA
  • Party: Confederation of Independent Poland -Patriotic Camp

Last Presidential election:

• The last presidential election was held on October 8, 2000. Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI won with 53.90% of the vote against Andrzej OLECHOWSKI, who received 17.30%.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 38,165,445 (2005)
• Registered Voters: 30,229,031 (August 2005)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 19,666,608 (2005)

·         Is Poland a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (29 May 1980)

·         Has Poland ratified CEDAW: Yes (30 July 1980)

·         Gender Quota: Yes 

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 94 (Sejm); 13 (Senate) following the 2005 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 36 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Poland a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Poland ratified CRPD: Yes (25 September 2012)

·         Population with a disability: 5,724,816 (est.)