The Samoobrona Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej (shortened in Samoobrona ) or Autodéfense of the Republic of Poland is a Agricultural trade union, then a Polish political party founded on January 10th, 1992.

Program

Generally described like Extreme-right-hand side in Western Europe, of Extreme-left in Poland and itself of center-left, Samoobrona has a populist line and isolationist. He preaches for example a Agriculture of State, the increase in the governmental social programs, the end of the payment of the foreign debt, the introduction of a tax on the Western supermarkets and the immediate use of the monetary reserves. He is hostile towards the overseas investments.

He electorally aims the farmers and “the people of modest means” of the poor suburbs, strongly touched by unemployment. Like other populist parties, like Right and Justice, it is carried by a nostalgic wave of the communist period and its control of State; its electorate provides itself among those which lost at the time them liberal reforms much aiming at leaving the Soviet era. This nostalgia is nourished of one disappointment with regard to the European Union.

History

The Samoobrona trade union (“self-defense”) is with the head of the country revolt of the beginning of the year 1990, due to the hyperinflation and the debt of the peasants. Its leader , Andrzej Lepper, a former farmer, transforms the trade union into political party.

The first election of Samoobrona takes place in 1993, obtaining 2,78% of the votes, which is insufficient to enter to the Sejm (Lower House of the Parlement). In 1995, Andrzej Lepper, is presented to the presidential election and obtains 1,32% of the voices; with the legislative elections of 1997, the party obtains 0,08%. In 2000, Samoobrona, with the head of peasants in anger, organizes a blocking campaign of the important roads to draw the attention of the media. With the following presidential election, Andrzej Lepper obtains 3,05%.

The legislative elections of 2001 give to the party 53 seats, with 10,5% of the voices, making of him the third political clout of the country. Although he is officially member of the opposition, Samoobrona lines up with dimensions governing party, the Alliance of the democratic left, in a significant number of votes, giving them the majority to remain with the capacity. The party is as noticed by the disturbing behavior of its deputies, through various incidents, like the use of loudspeakers, the assertion as the principal party of opposition, (Civic platform), meets the Talibans in Klewki (small village close to Olsztyn) to sell Anthrax to them. Criminal investigations are in hand in connection with several of the deputies of Samoobrona.

In 2003, the party badly saw the Referendum on the entry in the European Union. On the one hand, the traditionally isolationist positions and Eurosceptics lead them to invite to vote “not”, but like the whole of the observers announce, rightly, that Polish will vote “yes”, the populist tendencies of Samoobrona lead them to take into account this majority opinion. This is why the countryside of the party remains ambiguous: posters of countryside carry the slogan “the decision returns to you”. With the European elections of 2004, it receives 10% of the votes, which gives him six of the 54 Polish seats. In 2005, Samoobrona is founding member of the European EUDemocrats, “centrist” and “euro-critical” party.

At the presidential election of 2005, Andrzej Lepper arrives in third place with 15% of the voices. With the legislative elections, Samoobrona obtains 56 of the 460 members of the Sejm and three senators out of the hundreds, which makes of him the second party of the coalition to the capacity after the party Droit and justice, which gives him stations with the government: Andrzej Lepper becomes Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of Agriculture. The party receives moreover the wallet of Work and the social Affairs. July 10th, 2006, Lech Kaczyński, the president, appoints his brother Jaroslaw Kaczynski Prime Minister. September 21st, 2006, it breaks the electoral alliance and dismisses Andrzej Lepper because of divergences on the budget and the troops present in Afghanistan. However, following the consecutive crisis and the risk of anticipated elections, the two brothers of the Right party and justice are obliged to retrogress.

At the time of the anticipated legislative elections of 2007, Samoobrona loses the whole of its deputies.

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