Poland Country Report

In Poland during the Second Republic (1918-1939) there was performed no referendum and the both constitutions: of 1921 and of 1935 did not mention the institution of referendum. After the World War Two for the first time in the history of Poland the referendum was performed in 1946. This referendum initiated by the communist party (the Polish Workers’ Party) and its allies was an excuse for delaying the first post-war parliamentary elections. The second all-national referendum was held in 1987 on a decline of the communist era. This referendum in fact anticipated (or even accelerated) the collapse of the regime of real socialism (or communist domination). So, we may say that the irony of history is that the communist regime - being imposed from abroad was instaled and consolidated in Poland also through means of the forged referendum of 1946 – after the forty years collaped also in long run consequences of the referendum of 1987, but this time fairly conducted popular voting