2023 Polish parliamentary election — general election for the 10th term Sejm and 11th term Senate of Poland
Poland's 2023 parliamentary election saw record 74.4% turnout and produced a majority opposition coalition defeating the ruling Law and Justice party.
Key Facts
- Election date
- 15 October 2023
- Voter turnout
- 74.4%
- Opposition combined vote
- 54%
- Sejm term
- 10th term
- Senate term
- 11th term
- Simultaneous referendum questions
- 4
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After two consecutive Sejm majorities under Law and Justice (PiS), the party sought a historically unprecedented third consecutive term. Opposition parties, united under Donald Tusk's Civic Coalition and allied groups, mobilized against PiS governance on issues including economic and immigration policy, contesting both parliamentary seats and a simultaneous four-question referendum.
On 15 October 2023, Polish voters elected members of the Sejm and Senate. PiS and its United Right alliance won the most seats for the third consecutive election but fell short of a Sejm majority. The combined opposition—Civic Coalition, Third Way, and The Left—secured 54% of the vote. Senate Pact 2023 won a majority of Senate seats. Turnout reached 74.4%, the highest in Poland's post-communist contested elections.
Despite finishing first in seats, PiS could not form a government. The three opposition groupings combined to form a majority coalition government, ending PiS's years in power. Donald Tusk, as opposition leader, was positioned to lead the new government. The election set a post-communist turnout record, surpassing benchmarks from 1989 and 2019.
Political Outcome
Opposition coalition (Civic Coalition, Third Way, The Left) won a combined 54% of the vote and formed a majority government; PiS-led United Right won the most seats but fell short of a majority.
Law and Justice (PiS) governing with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki
Opposition majority coalition government led by Donald Tusk