Presidential elections were held in Poland on 20 June 2010. As no candidate received a majority of votes in the first round, a second round was held on 4 July 2010. Bronisław Komorowski, the acting President of Poland and vice-chairman of the Civic Platform, defeated Jarosław Kaczyński, twin brother of the recently deceased President Lech Kaczyński and chairman of Law and Justice (PiS). The 2008 financial crisis, flooding in Poland and the Smolensk disaster were the main themes in the last months of the election campaign.
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| Turnout | 54.92% (first round) 5.20pp 55.30% (second round) 4.32pp | |
|---|---|---|
Second round results by powiat | ||
As of 2025[update], this remains the last Polish presidential election won by a non PiS-aligned candidate and the only election won by a candidate from PO.
Background
The 2010 presidential election was expected to be a rematch of the 2005 election between Lech Kaczyński and Donald Tusk. Since the last presidential election, Polish politics had become centered around the rivalry between Law and Justice and the Civic Platform. President Kaczyński and Prime Minister Tusk were constantly battling each other over who should represent Poland on the international stage. Tusk was leading Kaczyński in all the opinion polls (as he did ahead of the 2005 elections, which he ultimately lost) and the election was expected to be a dirty one. However, this rematch never came to be. Donald Tusk announced in January 2010 that he will not run for President because he wants to remain Prime Minister. Lech Kaczyński was set to declare his candidacy for re-election on 23 May but he died on 10 April in the Smolensk air disaster.
After Donald Tusk declined to run for president, the Civic Platform organized a presidential primary. The primary was won by Bronisław Komorowski who defeated Radosław Sikorski receiving 68.5% of the vote to Sikorski's 31.5%. Bronisław Komorowski consistently lead Lech Kaczyński by double digits in the first round and by a 2-to-1 margin in the second round. No other candidate registered support in the double digits.
After President Lech Kaczyński's death in a plane crash on 10 April 2010, the Constitution required the Marshal of the Sejm to declare the date within two weeks, with the election to take place on a weekend within the following 60 days, i.e. 20 June at the latest. On 21 April, the Marshal, Bronisław Komorowski, announced the election date as 20 June 2010. Candidates were required to register by 26 April 2010 (with 1,000 signatures of voters in support) and submit 100,000 signatures by 6 May 2010.
Originally, Kaczyński was up for re-election between 19 September and 3 October; the exact date would have been announced between 23 May and 23 June, before the end of his first five-year term of office.
Two candidates for the election died in the crash. Incumbent Lech Kaczyński was nominated as the Law and Justice party candidate (he had yet to accept the nomination, but it was widely believed that he would do so), and Jerzy Szmajdziński was to have run for the Democratic Left Alliance. Jarosław Kaczyński ran for president as the replacement for his deceased twin brother. Jerzy Szmajdziński's replacement was Grzegorz Napieralski.
Senate by-elections to fill the three seats whose senators died in the crash – Krystyna Bochenek (PO), Janina Fetlińska (PiS) and Stanisław Zając (PiS, himself elected in a by-election on 22 June 2008 to replace Andrzej Mazurkiewicz) – were held on the same day.
Candidates
In total, 23 candidates registered with the Polish National Electoral Commission on, or just following, the 26 April deadline. 17 of the 23 candidacies were accepted by the commission, whilst the remaining 6 were rejected because they had not gathered the required 1000 signatures.
Only ten candidates collected the required 100,000 signatures and were eligible to run for president.
- Former Marshal of the Sejm Marek Jurek (Right of the Republic), 49
- Former Prime Minister and PiS Chairman Jarosław Kaczyński (Law and Justice), 60
- Marshal of the Sejm and Acting President Bronisław Komorowski (Civic Platform), 58
- Former Member of the Sejm Janusz Korwin-Mikke (Liberty and Lawfulness), 67
- Former Deputy Prime Minister Andrzej Lepper (Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland), 55
- Founder and leader of Fighting Solidarity Kornel Morawiecki (Independent), 69
- Party Chairman and Sejm Member Grzegorz Napieralski (Democratic Left Alliance), 36
- Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrzej Olechowski (Independent), 62
- Former Prime Minister and current Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak (Polish People's Party), 50
- Chairman of Free Trade Union "August '80" Bogusław Ziętek (Polish Labour Party), 45
Rejected candidates
- Zdzisław Jankowski
- Gabriel Janowski – national-conservative, former Minister of Agriculture
- Dariusz Kosiur
- Bartłomiej Kurzeja – artist, self-described as "the National Sculptor"
- Krzysztof Mazurski – scientist, geographer
- Paweł Pietrzyk
- Roman Sklepowicz
- Paweł Soroka – political scientist
- Bogdan Szpryngiel – a former Libertas candidate to the European Parliament
- Ludwik Wasiak
- Józef Wójcik
- Waldemar Urbanowski
Withdrawn
- Ludwik Dorn – former Marshal of Sejm (Law and Justice), candidate of liberal-conservative party Poland Plus.
- Tomasz Nałęcz – former Vice-Marshal of Sejm, candidate of Social Democracy of Poland (SdPl).
- Zdzisław Podkański – former member of the European Parliament (Polish People's Party), leader of the national-conservative party Piast.
Dead
- Lech Kaczyński – President who applied to start for reelection. First candidate of Law and Justice.
- Jerzy Szmajdziński – former Minister of Defence, Vice-Marshal of Sejm. First candidate of Democratic Left Alliance.
Campaign
Bronisław Komorowski's campaign slogan was "Unity builds" (Zgoda buduje) and his strategy was to portray himself as an independent politician ready to work with everyone to fix the nation's problems. He pledged to work closely with the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk to adopt the euro in about five years, end the unpopular military mission in Afghanistan and promote pro-market reforms.
Jarosław Kaczyński's campaign slogan was "Poland is the most important" (Polska jest najważniejsza) and he aimed to soften his own image and present himself as someone ready for compromise. He praised his late twin brother's legacy and promised to continue his policies as President. He made it a priority to fight crime and corruption, scale back market reforms to preserve a strong welfare state and promote Roman Catholic values
Opinion polls
Graphical summary
First round
| Polling firm/Link | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Komorowski PO | Kaczyński PiS | Napieralski SLD | Pawlak PSL | Olechowski ind. | Lepper SRP | Korwin-Mikke WiP | Jurek PR | Morawiecki ind. | Ziętek PPP | Others | Don't know | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 presidential election | Election result | 16,806,170 | 41.54 | 36.46 | 13.68 | 2.48 | 1.75 | 1.44 | 1.28 | 1.06 | 0.18 | 0.13 | 5.08 | ||
| Millward Brown SMG/KRC | 18 June 2010 | 44 | 29 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 15 | ||
| TNS OBOP | 17 June 2010 | 42 | 35 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |||
| Millward Brown SMG/KRC | 16 June 2010 | 1,001 | 41 | 29 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 12 | ||||
| GfK Polonia | 16 June 2010 | 48 | 34 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | |||
| CBOS | 10–16 June 2010 | 977 | 42 | 28 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 14 | |
| TNS OBOP | 10–15 June 2010 | 965 | 41 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 10 | |
| GfK Polonia | 12 June 2010 | 42 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 13 | ||
| SMG/KRC Millward Brown | 9 June 2010 | 45 | 31 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 14 | ||
| SMG/KRC Millward Brown | 7 June 2010 | 43 | 32 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | ||
| Homo Homini | 5 June 2010 | 46.5 | 32.4 | 6.1 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0 | 6.4 | 14.1 | ||
| SMG/KRC Millward Brown | 4 June 2010 | 42 | 31 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 11 | ||
| PBS DGA | 2 June 2010 | 48 | 33 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |||
| SMG/KRC Millward Brown | 31 May 2010 | 46 | 30 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 16 | ||
| Homo Homini | 29 May 2010 | 47.6 | 32.5 | 6.1 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 5.6 | 15.1 | ||
| GfK Polonia | 22 May 2010 | 53 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | |||
| SMG/KRC Millward Brown | 17 May 2010 | 49 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 20 | ||
| Homo Homini | 15 May 2010 | 42.2 | 35.9 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6.3 | ||
| GfK Polonia | 15 May 2010 | 48 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 18 | ||
| TNS OBOP | 7–10 May 2010 | 949 | 45 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 12 | ||
| GfK Polonia | 12 May 2010 | 41 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 13 | ||
| SMG/KRC Millward Brown | 10 May 2010 | 45 | 34 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |||
| CBOS | 8–13 May 2010 | 1,000 | 50 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 23 | |
| TNS OBOP | 6 May 2010 | 1,000 | 50 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||||
| CBOS | 4–10 March 2010 | 995 | 38 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 12 | 18 | |||||
| CBOS | 4–10 February 2010 | 1,021 | 28 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 16 | 10 | |||||
| CBOS | 7–13 January 2010 | 1,052 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 52 | 39 | 6 |
Second round
| Date | Institute | Candidate | Undecided | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronisław Komorowski | Jarosław Kaczyński | ||||
| 7 May 2010 | TNS OBOP | 61% | 39% | – | |
| 10 May 2010 | SMG/KRC | 54% | 41% | 5% | |
| 12 May 2010 | GfK Polonia | 53% | 34% | 13% | |
| 14 May 2010 | TNS OBOP | 55% | 39% | 6% | |
| 17 May 2010 | SMG/KRC Millward Brown | 58% | 33% | 9% | |
| 2 June 2010 | PBS DGA | 64% | 36% | – | |
| 4 June 2010 | SMG/KRC Millward Brown | 56% | 35% | 9% | |
| 9 June 2010 | SMG/KRC Millward Brown | 54% | 36% | 7% | |
| 16 June 2010 | SMG/KRC Millward Brown | 60% | 40% | – | |
| 18 June 2010 | MillwardBrown SMG/KRC | 56% | 33% | 11% | |
| 30 June – 1 July 2010 | TNS OBOP | 45% | 37% | 18% | |
| 1 July 2010 | GfK Polonia | 47% | 49% | 4% | |
| 2 July 2010 | Millward Brown SMG/KRC | 51% | 44% | 5% | |
| 2 July 2010 | Homo Homini | 47.6% | 45.2% | 7.2% | |
Results
There were 10 candidates in the first round of voting. Bronisław Komorowski of Civic Platform received 41.5% and Jarosław Kaczyński of Law and Justice received 36.5%, causing a second round of voting between the two. The other eight candidates were eliminated.
Soon after exit polls were released in the second round, Jarosław Kaczyński conceded that he had been defeated. Bronisław Komorowski appeared to tentatively claim victory, stating: "Tonight we will open a small bottle of champagne and tomorrow we will open a big bottle." The exit polls put Komorowski ahead of Kaczyński by 53% to 47%. On the following day, Komorowski was declared the winner of the election. The final result put Komorowski with 53.01% of the vote, and Kaczyński with 46.99%. Komorowski's win resulted in Civic Platform holding both the Presidency and the government (under Prime Minister Donald Tusk). Correspondents in US and British business newspapers suggested that Komorowski's win would mean closer engagement with the European Union, and such domestic economic reforms as deficit reduction.
| Candidate | Party | First round | Second round | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| Bronisław Komorowski | Civic Platform | 6,981,319 | 41.54 | 8,933,887 | 53.01 | |
| Jarosław Kaczyński | Law and Justice | 6,128,255 | 36.46 | 7,919,134 | 46.99 | |
| Grzegorz Napieralski | Democratic Left Alliance | 2,299,870 | 13.68 | |||
| Janusz Korwin-Mikke | Liberty and Lawfulness | 416,898 | 2.48 | |||
| Waldemar Pawlak | Polish People's Party | 294,273 | 1.75 | |||
| Andrzej Olechowski | Independent (SD) | 242,439 | 1.44 | |||
| Andrzej Lepper | Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland | 214,657 | 1.28 | |||
| Marek Jurek | Right Wing of the Republic | 177,315 | 1.06 | |||
| Bogusław Ziętek | Polish Labour Party - August 80 | 29,548 | 0.18 | |||
| Kornel Morawiecki | Independent (SW) | 21,596 | 0.13 | |||
| Total | 16,806,170 | 100.00 | 16,853,021 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 16,806,170 | 99.30 | 16,853,021 | 98.84 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 117,662 | 0.70 | 197,396 | 1.16 | ||
| Total votes | 16,923,832 | 100.00 | 17,050,417 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 30,813,005 | 54.92 | 30,833,924 | 55.30 | ||
| Source: PKW, PKW | ||||||
Analysis
A post-election poll by Centre for Public Opinion Research showed a divergence from the official results, with Jarosław Kaczyński underperfoming in the poll and Bronisław Komorowski overperforming, especially in the second round — in the poll, Kaczyński only received 37.2% in the second round, whereas he received 47% in the election. Given this disparity, in the poll, 5% of Kaczyński's second-round voters had supported Grzegorz Napieralski in the first round, compared with 16% of Komorowski's electorate. 81% of Kaczyński's second-round electorate stated they were voting for Kaczyński rather than against Komorowski, while the equivalent figure among Komorowski's voters was 63%. The poll also indicated that more frequent churchgoers were more likely to vote for Kaczyński in the second round.
Notes
- Komorowski, the incumbent Marshal of the Sejm, became Acting President on 10 April 2010 after the death of Lech Kaczyński. He resigned from both offices on 8 July 2010, after being confirmed as the winner of the election, leaving Marshal of the Senate Bogdan Borusewicz (Independent, PO caucus) as Acting President for less than a day. The Sejm reconvened later that same day to elect Grzegorz Schetyna (PO) as Marshal, and thus Acting President until Komorowski's inauguration on 6 August.
- Lech Kaczyński — 20, Szmajdziński — 2, Nałęcz — 1, Dorn — 1, Others — 17
- Lech Kaczyński — 18, Szmajdziński — 3, Nałęcz — 0, Others — 21
- Tusk — 20, Lech Kaczyński — 14, Cimoszewicz — 4, Szmajdziński — 3, Jolanta Kwaśniewska — 2, Aleksander Kwaśniewski — 2, Sikorski — 2, Kalinowski — 1, Others — 4
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