Party Regulation

Oxford University Press eBooks, pp. 504–518

Abstract

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of party regulation in Poland since the democratic transition to the present date, offering an account of key aspects of the regulatory framework, with a special focus on the constitutional position of political parties and their regulation in the Polish Party Law. It also explores the reasons why certain dispositions were adopted, how they came to be amended at the turn of the twenty-first century, and what consequences they had for the evolution of party politics in the country. The main findings are (i) party regulation in Poland has not only had a very minimal character but also has remained basically unaltered since the democratic transition; (ii) elite polarization has prevented further changes/improvements to the legislation; and (iii) the impact of party regulation on the party system has tended to be minimal or at least secondary to more powerful institutions, most notably the electoral system.

Authors 2

1. Fernando Casal Bértoa

   University of Nottingham

   Affiliation as printed

   Politics, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom

2. Ingrid van Biezen Aachen Comparative Politics

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Comparative Politics, University of Leiden, Netherlands