At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Poland

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Jerzy BUZEK
• Assembly: Poland has a bicameral National Assembly (Zgromadzenie Narodowe) consisting of the Senate (Senat) with 100 seats and the Sejm (Sejm) with 460 seats.

Description of electoral system:

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

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI
  • Party: Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)
• Andrzej OLECHOWSKI
  • Party: Independent Candidate
• Marian KRZAKLEWSKI
  • Party: Solidarity Electoral Action (AWS)
• Jaroslaw KALINOWSKI
  • Party: Polish Peasant Party (PSL)
• Andrzej LEPPER
  • Party: Samoobrona Farmer Union
• Janusz KORWIN-MIKKE
  • Party: Real Politics Union
• Lech WALESA
  • Party: Christian Democracy of the Third Republic (ChDRP)
• Other Candidates
  • Party: N/A

Last Presidential election:

• Presidential Elections were last held on November 5, 1995 and November 19, 1995. President Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI received 51.7% of the second round vote against Lech WALESA who received 48.3%.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 38,258,629 (2000)
• Registered Voters: 29,122,304 (2000)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 19,688,088 (2000)

·         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: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 60 ( Sejm); 11 (Senate) following the 1997 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: 5,738,794 (est.)