View source for Contract Sejm

{{short description|Polish parliament elected in 1989}}
{{More footnotes|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox legislative term
| name                  = Contract Sejm
| alt                   =Sejm and Senate Complex of Poland 
| body                  = [[Parliament of Poland]]
| country               = [[Poland]]
| meeting_place         = [[Sejm and Senate Complex of Poland|Sejm building complex]], [[Warsaw]], [[Poland]]
| election              = [[1989 Polish parliamentary election|4 and 18 June 1989]]
| government            = 
{{Switcher|'''[[Cabinet of Tadeusz Mazowiecki|Mazowiecki]]'''{{-}}(12 September 1989 – 12 January 1991)
:{{Color box|{{party color|Solidarity Citizens' Committee}}|border=silver}} [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|OKP]]
:{{Color box|{{party color|Polish United Workers' Party}}|border=silver}} [[PZPR]] (until 1990)
:{{Color box|{{party color|United People's Party (Poland)}}|border=silver}} [[United People's Party (Poland)|ZSL]]
:{{Color box|{{party color|Alliance of Democrats (Poland)}}|border=silver}} [[Democratic Party (Poland)|SD]]|Mazowiecki|'''{{ill|Cabinet of Jan Krzysztof Bielecki{{!}}Bielecki|pl|Rząd Jana Krzysztofa Bieleckiego}}'''{{-}}(12 January – 23 December 1991)
:{{Color box|{{party color|Solidarity Citizens' Committee}}|border=silver}} [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|OKP]]
::{{Color box|{{party color|Liberal Democratic Congress}}|border=silver}} [[Liberal Democratic Congress|KLD]]
::{{Color box|{{party color|Centre Agreement}}|border=silver}} [[Centre Agreement|PC]]
::{{Color box|{{party color|Christian National Union}}|border=silver}} [[Christian National Union|ZChN]]
:{{Color box|{{party color|Democratic Union (Poland)}}|border=silver}} [[Democratic Union (Poland)|UD]]
:{{Color box|{{party color|Alliance of Democrats (Poland)}}|border=silver}} [[Democratic Party (Poland)|SD]]|Bielecki}}
| term_start            = {{Start date|1989|6|18|df=y}}
| term_end              = {{End date|1991|11|24|df=y}}
| before                = [[9th term Sejm of the Polish People's Republic]]
| after                 = [[First Term Sejm]]
| website               = {{URL|sejm.gov.pl/archiwum/kluby/kadencjax/kluby.htm|sejm.gov.pl}} <br> {{URL|senat.gov.pl}}
| chamber1              = Sejm
| chamber1_image        = Poland_Sejm_1989.svg
| membership1           = 460 deputies
| control1              = {{ubli|[[Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth|PRON]]{{-}}(until 17 August 1989)|[[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] ([[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|KO "S"]])-backed coalition{{-}}(from 17 August 1989)}}
| chamber1_leader1_type = [[Marshal of the Sejm]]
| chamber1_leader1      = [[Mikołaj Kozakiewicz]], [[United People's Party (Poland)|ZSL]]→[[Polish People's Party|PSL]]
| chamber1_leader2_type = [[Deputy Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland|Deputy Marshals of the Sejm]]
| chamber1_leader2      = {{ill|Teresa Dobielińska-Eliszewska|pl}}, [[Democratic Party (Poland)|SD]]<br>{{ill|Tadeusz Fiszbach|pl}}, [[PZPR]]→[[Polish Social Democratic Union|PUS]]<br>[[Olga Krzyżanowska]], [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|KO "S"]]→[[Democratic Union (Poland)|UD]]
| chamber2              = Senate
| chamber2_image        = Poland_Senate_1989.svg
| membership2           = 100 Senators
| control2              = [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee]] supermajority
| chamber2_leader1_type = [[Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland|Marshal of the Senate]]
| chamber2_leader1      = [[Andrzej Stelmachowski]], [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|KO "S"]]
| chamber2_leader2_type = [[Deputy Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland|Deputy Marshals of the Senate]]
| chamber2_leader2      = [[Zofia Kuratowska]], [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|KO "S"]]{{-}}{{ill|Józef Ślisz|pl}}, [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|KO "S"]]{{-}}{{ill|Andrzej Wielowieyski|pl}}, [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|KO "S"]]
}}
{{Politics of Poland}}
'''Contract Sejm''' ({{langx|pl|Sejm kontraktowy}}) is a term commonly applied to the [[Sejm]] ("parliament") elected in the [[1989 Polish legislative election|Polish parliamentary elections of 1989]]. The ''contract'' refers to an agreement reached by the [[Polish United Workers' Party]] and the [[Solidarność]] ("solidarity") movement during the [[Polish Round Table Agreement]]. The final agreement was signed on April 5, 1989. As a result, real political power was vested in a newly created [[bicameral legislature]] and in a [[President of Poland|president]] who would be the chief executive. Solidarność became a legitimate and legal political party.{{POV statement|date=December 2015}}

Perhaps the most important decision reached during the talks was to allow for partially free elections to be held in Poland. All seats to the newly created Senate of Poland were to be elected democratically, as were 161 seats (35 percent of the total) in Sejm. The remaining 65% of the seats were reserved for the Communist Party and its satellite parties. In addition, all 35 seats elected via the [[national electoral list]] were reserved for [[The Party (politics)|the Party's]] candidates provided they gained a certain quota of support. This was to ensure that the most notable leaders of the Party were elected.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

The outcome of the election was largely unpredictable. After all, Poland had not had a free and fair election since [[1928 Polish parliamentary election|1928]], so there was little precedent to go by. It was clear that the Communists were unpopular, but there were no hard numbers as to how low support for them would actually fall. The Communist government still had control over most major media outlets and employed sports and television celebrities for candidates, as well as successful local personalities and businesspeople.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} Some members of the opposition were worried that such tactics would gain enough votes from the less educated segment of the population to give the Communists the legitimacy that they craved.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

The election of June 4, 1989 (and the second round of June 18) brought a landslide victory to Solidarność: 99% of all the seats in the Senate and all of the possible seats in the Sejm. Out of 100 seats in the Senate, 99 were won by Solidarity and 1 by an independent candidate. Out of 35 seats of the country-wide list, only one was gained by the Party candidate ([[Adam Zieliński]]) and one by a [[United People's Party (Poland)|United People's Party]] satellite party candidate, while the remainder were taken by the Solidarity in the second run. Altogether, out of 161 seats eligible, Solidarity took 160.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

The turnout was surprisingly low: only 62.7% in the first round and 25% in the second.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} The outcome was a major surprise to both the Party and Solidarity. Only a few days before June 4 the party Central Committee was discussing the possible reaction of the Western world should Solidarity not win a single seat. At the same time the Solidarity leaders were trying to prepare some set of rules for the non-party MPs in a Communist-dominated parliament, as it was expected that the Solidarity would win not more than 20 seats.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

Although the elections were not entirely democratic,{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} they paved the way for the creation of [[Tadeusz Mazowiecki]]'s cabinet and a [[peaceful transition of power|peaceful transition]] to democracy, which was confirmed after the [[1991 Polish parliamentary election|Polish parliamentary elections of 1991]].

The Contract Sejm's opening session took place on 5 July 1989.<ref>{{cite web |date=1989-07-05 |title=Solidarity Takes Its Elected Place In The Parliament - New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/05/world/solidarity-takes-its-elected-place-in-the-parliament.html?scp=24&sq=poland&st=nyt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306213612/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/05/world/solidarity-takes-its-elected-place-in-the-parliament.html?scp=24&sq=poland&st=nyt |archive-date=2016-03-06 |accessdate=2011-11-12 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
==Party breakdown==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center"
! colspan="4"| Clubs
! colspan="3"| Deputies ([[Sejm]]) 
! colspan="3"| Senators ([[Senate of Poland|Senate]])
|-
!colspan=2|Results of the<br>[[1989 Polish parliamentary election|1989 election]]
!colspan=2|As of<br>26 October 1991
!Results of the<br>[[1989 Polish parliamentary election|1989 election]] !! As of<br>26 October 1991
!Change
!Results of the<br>[[1989 Polish parliamentary election|1989 election]] !! As of<br>26 October 1991
!Change
|-
| {{party color cell|Polish United Workers' Party}} || [[Polish United Workers' Party]] || {{party color cell|Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland}} || [[Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland|Parliamentary Club of the Democratic Left]] || 173 || 102 || {{decrease}} 71 || — || — || —
|-
| {{party color cell|Solidarity Citizens' Committee}} || colspan=3|[[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|Civic Parliamentary Club]] || 161 || 105 || {{decrease}} 56 || 99 || 67 || {{decrease}} 32
|-
| {{party color cell|United People's Party (Poland)}} || [[United People's Party (Poland)|United People's Party]] || {{party color cell|Polish People's Party}} || [[Polish People's Party]] || 76 || 65 || {{decrease}} 11 || — || — || —
|-
| colspan=2|— || {{party color cell|Democratic Union (Poland)}} || [[Democratic Union (Poland)|Democratic Union]] || — || 49 || {{increase}} 49 || — || 29 || {{increase}} 29
|-
| colspan=2|— || {{party color cell|Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland}} || [[Polish Social Democratic Union|Deputies' Labour Club]] || — || 39 || {{increase}} 39 || — || — || —
|-
| {{party color cell|Alliance of Democrats (Poland)}} || colspan=3|[[Democratic Party (Poland)|Democratic Party]] || 27 || 21 || {{decrease}} 6 || — || — || —
|-
| {{party color cell|PAX Association}} || colspan=3|[[PAX Association]] || 10 || 10 || {{nochange}} || — || — || —
|-
| style="background:#00FFFF"| ||  colspan=3|{{ill|Christian-Social Union|pl|Unia Chrześcijańsko-Społeczna (Polska)}} || 8 || 8 ||{{nochange}} || — || — || —
|-
| colspan=2|— || {{party color cell|Polish People's Party}} || {{ill|Christian People's Club|pl|Polskie Forum Ludowo-Chrześcijańskie „Ojcowizna”}} || — || 8 || {{increase}} 8 || — || — || —
|-
| colspan=2|— || {{party color cell|Polish United Workers' Party}} || Club of Independent Deputies (former [[PZPR]]) || — || 7 || {{increase}} 7 || — || — || —
|-
| colspan=2|— || {{party color cell|Polish United Workers' Party}} || Club of Military Deputies (former [[PZPR]]) || — || 7 || {{increase}} 7 || — || — || —
|-
| colspan=2|— || {{party color cell|Solidarity}} || [[Labour Solidarity]] || — || 5 || {{increase}} 5 || — || — || —
|-
| colspan=2|— || {{party color cell|Polish People's Party}} || {{ill|Polish People's Party (Mikołajczykowskie)|pl|Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe (Mikołajczykowskie)}} || — || 4 || {{increase}} 4 || — || — || —
|-
| style="background:#1465A4"| ||  colspan=3|{{ill|Polish Catholic Social Association|pl|Polski Związek Katolicko-Społeczny}} || 5 || 4 || {{decrease}} 1 || — || — || —
|-
| colspan=2|— || {{party color cell|The Greens (Poland)}} || Parliamentary Ecological Club || — || 3 || {{increase}} 3 || — || — || —
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent (politician)}} || colspan=3|Non-attached members || — || 20 || {{increase}} 20 || 1 || 2 || {{increase}} 1
|+
| colspan="4"| '''Total members''' || '''460''' || '''457''' || {{decrease}} 3 || '''100''' || '''98''' || {{decrease}} 2
|-
| bgcolor="#FFFFFF"| || colspan=3|Vacant || — || 3 || {{increase}} 3 || — || 2 || {{increase}} 2
|-
| colspan="4"| Total seats|| colspan="3"| 460 || colspan="3"| 100
|}

==Governments==
{| class="wikitable" style="line-height:1.4em; text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" scope="col" | Portrait
! rowspan="2" | Name<br/>Sejm District<br />{{small|(Birth–Death)}}
! colspan="3" scope="colgroup" | Tenure
! rowspan="2" style="font-size:90%; line-height:normal" scope="col" | Ministerial offices held as prime minister
! rowspan="2" | Party
! rowspan="2" | [[Politics of Poland|Government]]
|-
! Took office
! Left office
! Duration
|-
! style="background:{{party color|Polish United Workers' Party}}"|<br>
| {{CSS image crop|Image = Czeslaw Kiszczak.jpg|bSize = 95|cWidth = 80|cHeight = 120|oTop = 0|oLeft = 15|Location=center}}
| '''[[Czesław Kiszczak]]'''<br>{{small|''None''}}<br /><small>(1925–2015)</small>
| 2 August 1989 
| 24 August 1989<br />{{small|(''no confidence vote'')}}
|{{small|{{Age in years and days|1989|8|2|1989|8|24}}}}
| style="font-size:90%;" | [[Ministry of the Interior (Poland)|Interior Minister]] (1981–1990)
| {{Party shading/Liberal}} | [[Polish United Workers' Party]]
| {{Party shading/Liberal}} |[[Cabinet of Czesław Kiszczak|Kiszczak]]{{-}}{{small|([[Polish United Workers' Party|PZPR]]–[[United People's Party (Poland)|ZSL]]–[[Democratic Party (Poland)|SD]])}}

|-
! style="background:{{party color|Solidarity Citizens' Committee}}"|<br>
| rowspan=2 | {{CSS image crop|Image = (Tadeusz Mazowiecki) Rueda de prensa de Felipe González con el primer ministro de Polonia. Pool Moncloa. 26 de septiembre de 1990 (cropped).jpeg|bSize = 150|cWidth = 80|cHeight = 120|oTop = 15|oLeft = 29|Location=center}}
| rowspan=2 | '''[[Tadeusz Mazowiecki]]'''<br>{{small|''None''}}<br>{{small|(1927–2013)}}
| rowspan=2 | 24 August 1989
| rowspan=2 | 4 January 1991
| rowspan=2 | {{small|{{Age in years and days|1989|8|24|1991|1|4|sep=,|duration=on}}}}
| rowspan=2 |–
| {{Party shading/Whigs}} |[[Solidarity Citizens' Committee]]
| rowspan=2 {{Party shading/Coalition (UK)}} | [[Cabinet of Tadeusz Mazowiecki|Mazowiecki]]<br />{{small|B: ([[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|KO‘S']]–ZSL–PZPR–SD)}}{{-}}{{small|E: (KO‘S'–[[Democratic Union (Poland)|UD]]–[[Polish People's Party|PSL]]–SD–[[Citizens' Movement for Democratic Action|ROAD]]–[[Forum of the Democratic Right|FPD]])}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Union (Poland)}}" |
| {{Party shading/Liberal Democrats}} | [[Democratic Union (Poland)|Democratic Union]]
|-
! style="background:{{party color|Freedom Union (Poland)}}"|
| {{CSS image crop|Image = Premier Jan Krzysztof Bielecki 1991 (cropped).jpg||bSize = 110|cWidth = 80|cHeight = 120|oTop = 5|oLeft = 12}}
| '''[[Jan Krzysztof Bielecki]]'''<br/>{{Small|[[Gdańsk|Gdańsk - 21]]}}<br/>{{small|(born 1951)}}
| 4 January 1991
| 6 December 1991
| {{small|{{Age in years and days|1991|1|4|1991|12|6|sep=,|duration=on}}}}
| –
| {{Party shading/Conservative (UK)}} | [[Liberal Democratic Congress]]
| {{Party shading/Coalition (UK)}} | {{ill|Cabinet of Jan Krzysztof Bielecki{{!}}Bielecki|pl|Rząd Jana Krzysztofa Bieleckiego}}<br />{{small|([[Liberal Democratic Congress|KLD]]–[[Christian National Union|ZChN]]–[[Centre Agreement|PC]]–SD)}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book | author=Mikołaj Kozakiewicz | year=1991 | title=Byłem marszałkiem kontraktowego | publisher=Warsaw, BGW | isbn=83-7066-180-7 | page=255 }}
* {{cite book | author=Marek Chmaj | year=1996 | title=Sejm "Kontraktowy" w transformacji systemu politycznego Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej | publisher=Lublin, [[Lublin University|Maria Curie-Skłodowska University]] Press | isbn=83-227-0906-4 | page=214 }}
* {{cite book | editor=Janusz Słodczyk | year=2001 | title=The course and effects of the transformation process in Poland in different fields of social and economic life | publisher=Opole, [[Opole University]] | issn=1642-2597 | page=272 }}

{{Sejms}}
{{Polish Elections}}

[[Category:Solidarity (Polish trade union)]]
[[Category:Sejm]]
[[Category:1989 in Poland]]
[[Category:History of Poland (1989–present)]]
[[Category:Political history of Poland]]