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ABSTRACT

Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania in elections in Lithuania. How Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania managed to surpass the 5 percent electoral threshold?

Political activity of Poles in Lithuania started around the same time as Lithuanian. The Union of Poles in Lithuania was established at the congress on 15-16 April, 1989, which transformed the Socio-Cultural Association of Poles in Lithuania, founded a year earlier - in 1988. In the first parliamentary elections in independent Lithuania, Polish minority was not very active. Looking at the public space, the internal situation in the political elite of the Polish minority in Lithuania and the development of Polish-Lithuanian relationship as well as election results of AWPL in Lithuania have a noticeable direct relationship. The development of Polish-Lithuanian relations after the collapse of the Soviet Union can be divided into three stages: 1st from 1990 to 1994, 2nd from 1995 to 2005 period, 3rd from about 2007 to the present time. AWPL is a regional party and its political influence is limited over the whole country. Meanwhile, the party has regionally dominant positions in two municipalities (the Vilnius region and Salcininkai), and even in the two municipalities (Vilnius city, Trakai) is a influential party. Cooperation of AWPL with Russian parties in Lithuania started already during 1995 elections. Without support of Russian voters and other marginal parties, AWPL would probably not have been able to overcome 5 percent barier for parties in proportional system.

Slowa kluczowe: AWPL, wybory na Litwie, stosunki polsko-litewskie

Keywords: Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania, AWPL, elections in Lithuania, Lithuanian-Polish relationship

WSTÇP

Stosunki polsko-litewskie w ostatnich latach nie ukladaj^ siç najlepiej. Strona polska zarzuca Litwie, ze nie przestrzega ona standardów zachodnioeuropejskich w dziedzinie praw mniejszosci narodowych, strona litewska odpiera, ze polska mniejszosc narodowa na Litwie ma najlepsze warunki poza granicami Polski.

Aktywnosc polityczna Polaków na Litwie rozpoczçla siç mniej wiçcej w tym samym czasie co aktywnosc polityczna Litwinów. Zwi^zek Polaków na Litwie (ZPL) zostal utworzony poprzez przeksztalcenie na odbywaj^cym siç w dniach 15-16 kwietnia 1989 r. zjezdzie Stowarzyszenia Spoleczno-Kulturalnego Polaków na Litwie, zalozonego rok wczesniej, czyli w 1988 r.1

Pierwszym przewodnicz^cym ZPL byl Jan Sienkiewicz (1989-1991, 2000-2002), nastçpnie Jan Gabriel Mincewicz (1991-1994), Ryszard Maciejkianiec (1994-2000), a od 2002 r. funkcjç tç pelni...

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