English abstract

Abstract: The Civic Platform – a Young Party in Power

The Civic Platform is one of the new parties in Poland, being established less than 10 years ago as a liberal soft protest party with a flat and decentralized institutional structure. This article starts with a brief overview of the development of parties and party systems in Central and Eastern Europe before proceeding to review the history of the Civic Platform, with a special emphasis on its constituency, institutional structure, programmatic aspects and party type. Over time, the party’s profile has changed radically, in particular since the 2007 election, which brought the party into power. Step by step, it has become more hierarchically structured and has developed cartel and catch-all party characteristics institutionally reminiscent of a mass party. Currently, it enjoys a strong position: few voters want the Law and Justice Party to return to power, and the Left does not constitute a real challenge. The article nevertheless ends by discussing the prospects of fatigue from being in power, as well as the waning effect of the shock of two years of Kaczynski rule.

Key words: Civic Platform, party formation, party institutionalization, party program, party type.