At stake in this election:

• 100 seats in the Senat

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Lech KACZYNSKI
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI
• Assembly: Poland has a bicameral National Assembly (Zgromadzenie Narodowe) consisting of the Senat with 100 seats and the Sejm with 460 seats.

Description of electoral system:

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

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Civic Platform / (PO)
  • Leader: Donald TUSK
  • Seats won in this Senat election: 60
  • Seats won in last Senat election: 34
  • Seats won in this Sejm election: 209
  • Seats won in last Sejm election: 133
• Party: Law and Justice / (PiS)
  • Leader: Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI
  • Seats won in this Senat election: 39
  • Seats won in last Senat election: 49
  • Seats won in this Sejm election: 166
  • Seats won in last Sejm election: 155
• Party: Democratic Left Alliance / (SLD)
  • Leader: Wojciech OLEJNICZAK
  • Seats won in this Senat election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senat election: 0
  • Seats won in this Sejm election: 53
  • Seats won in last Sejm election: 55
• Party: Polish Peasant Party / (PSL)
  • Leader: Waldemar PAWLAK
  • Seats won in this Senat election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senat election: 2
  • Seats won in this Sejm election: 31
  • Seats won in last Sejm election: 25

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 38,120,560 (2007)
• Registered Voters: 30,615,471 (October 2007)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 19,655,158 (2007)

·         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); 8 (Senate) following the 2007 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: 5,718,084 (est.)