Ruch Autonomii Slaska (Silesian Autonomy Movement) was the only regionalist party in Poland to put up its candidates during recent General Elections of September 23rd.
Though major rivalry took place between traditional left-of-centre SLD-UP coalition (post-communists) and right-of centre parties (AWSP, Civic Platform, Law and Justice, etc.) Upper Silesians once again proved their attachment to “regional issues” voting autonomist candidates.
Though RAS candidates present on lists of a nation-wide liberal “Civic Platform” movement did not do too well in the elections to the Sejm (mostly because of a lack of an autonomist label), polling 560 votes in constituency Katowice and 2500 votes in constituency Rybnik (average number of votes per Civic Platform candidate being about 2000), the results obtained by our candidates to the Senate may be considered very promissing.
The average level of support for RAS candidates to the Senate of the Republic was about 17% in Silesian constituencies (Gliwice, Katowice, Rybnik) and a number of votes for Silesian autonomists amounted to 157 277 (about 25 000 votes more than in 1997 elections, when a whole region constituted one constituency and voters had right to elect three candidates!). Three RAS candidates stood, in Gliwice, Rybnik and Katowice, poling:
- Mrs Urszula Bartecka (Gliwice) 39 999 votes - 15.1%
- Mr Krzysztof Kluczniok (Rybnik) 41 849 votes - 17.2%
- Mr Jerzy Bogacki (Katowice) 75 429 votes - 20.3%
This, however, was not much enough to win a seat in Parliament, but quite much to be rather optimistic about local and regional elections to be held in Upper Silesia in 2002.
More details about Ruch Autonomii Slaska and recent General Elections in Poland to be found at: www.raslaska.org

RUCH AUTONOMII ŚLĄSKA - SILESIAN AUTONOMY MOVEMENT
Biuro Spraw Zagranicznych - Foreign Department

http://www.raslaska.org e-mail: foreign.dept@raslaska.org