Freedom Union (Poland)
The Freedom Union (Polish: Unia Wolności, UW) was a liberal democratic party in Poland. It was founded on March 20, 1994 out of the merger of the Democratic Union (Unia Demokratyczna, UD) and the Liberal Democratic Congress (Kongres Liberalno-Demokratyczny, KLD). Both of these parties had roots in the Solidarity trade union movement. It represented European democratic and liberal tradition, i.e., it advocated free market economy and individual liberty, rejected extremism and fanaticism, favoured European integration (in the form of European Union membership), rapid privatisation of the enterprises still owned by the Polish state and decentralisation of the government.
| Timeline of Polish liberal parties after 1989 |
In the 1991 general elections, the KLD received 7.5% of the vote and 37 seats in the Sejm (out of 460 seats) and the UD got 12.3% of the votes and 62 seats. In 1993 the KLD got 4.0% of the votes and was left without seats; the UD got 10.6% of the votes and 74 seats. In 1997 the UW got 13.4% of the votes and 60 seats. In 2001 it got 3.1% of the votes and was left without seats.
In January 2001 some members of the party's conservative right wing decided to move to join the new socially conservative Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska), which got 12.7% of the votes 65 seats in the 2001 general elections whilst the more moderate Christian-democratic Freedom Union failed to cross the 5% threshold required to gain entry to Parliament. Surprisingly, the party managed to cross the required 5% threshold in the 2004 European Parliament elections, receiving 7% of votes and 4 of 54 seats reserved for Poland in the European Parliament as part of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, of which it was a member.
The initiative by the Freedom Union leadership to found the centre/social-liberal Democratic Party (Partia Demokratyczna - demokraci.pl) attracted a lot of attention. It was cofounded by Władysław Frasyniuk and economy minister Jerzy Hausner, joined by prime minister Marek Belka. Former Freedom Union member Tadeusz Mazowiecki also joined the initiative. Legally the centrist Democratic Party, founded May 9, 2005, is the successor of the Freedom Union.
Read more about Freedom Union (Poland): Former Leader, Members of Polish Parliament (Sejm), Former Members of Polish Senate, Members of The European Parliament of The Former Freedom Union, Other Prominent Members
Famous quotes containing the words freedom and/or union:
“In particular I may mention Sophocles the poet, who was once asked in my presence, “How do you feel about love, Sophocles? are you still capable of it?” to which he replied, “Hush! if you please: to my great delight I have escaped from it, and feel as if I had escaped from a frantic and savage master.” I thought then, as I do now, that he spoke wisely. For unquestionably old age brings us profound repose and freedom from this and other passions.”
—Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)
“The man whose whole activity is diverted to inner meditation becomes insensible to all his surroundings. If he loves, it is not to give himself, to blend in fecund union with another being, but to meditate on his love. His passions are mere appearances, being sterile. They are dissipated in futile imaginings, producing nothing external to themselves.”
—Emile Durkheim (1858–1917)