Citizens Platform

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.

Contents

1 Founders

2 Political program

3 Leaders

4 Members of Polish Parliament (Sejm)

5 Citizens Platform Electoral Committee

6 Members of Polish Senate

7 Members of European Parliament

8 External link

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