Den polska Senaten pånyttfödd. Ett resultat av Rundabordssamtalen 1989

In this thesis I try to answer the question why a second chamber, the Senate, was reintroduced in Poland 1989. To understand the mechanism behind the Polish transition to democracy I have used the conclusion of O’Donnell and Schmitter. I found that the Polish Senate was reintroduced as a result of the agreements reached between the ruling Communist Party, PZPR, and the opposition, the Solidarity movement, more known as the Roundtable agreements. The reason for this was mainly political as the Communist Party sought to retain its power and influence, by allowing free elections to the reintroduced Senate, in exchange for the negotiated elections to the lower chamber, the Sejm, and the creation of a strong presidency, with the Communist leader General Jaruzelski as the first president. For Solidarity this was a price they were willing to pay, for regaining legal status and the reintroduction of pluralism and some level of democracy in Poland. There were also ideological reasons, as the reintroduction of the Senate would serve as symbol of the Polish history and tradition, as well as to restore the democratic character of the Polish State