Polish Social Movement Forward, more usually rendered as Forward Poland (Naprzód Polsko, NP) was a national-conservative and Eurosceptic political party in Poland. It contended the 2009 European Parliament elections under a common banner with Polish People's Party "Piast" (PSL Piast). It was formed mainly by former members of the League of Polish Families (LPR), including its leader Janusz Dobrosz.[1][2]
History
The party dated back to the Interim Executive Board made up of Sylwester Chruszcz (former president of the LPR), Bogusław Rogalski and Jan Szewczak. The inaugural[3] Congress was held on 29 November 2008,[4] the Interim Executive Board was replaced[4] and its constituent declaration drawn up.[4]
Forward Poland originally intended to be part of Libertas, the pan-European political organization founded by Declan Ganley.[2] Ganley came to Poland on 7 January 2009 to discuss terms with representatives from Forward Poland, PSL Piast and Prawica Rzeczypospolitej (PR).[5] Ganley insisted that the party used the word "Libertas" but the party politicians were concerned that the non-Polish name would deter voters.[5] The name "Forward Poland - Libertas" (Naprzód Polsko – Libertas) was suggested as a compromise.[5]
Another Congress took place on 25 January 2009 in Warsaw.[3] The party signed a declaration of cooperation with PSL Piast.[3] Letters of support were received from Krzysztof Wyszkowski,[3] Declan Ganley[3] and Czech President Václav Klaus.[3] Talks were held with representatives from PR, Unia Polityki Realnej (UPR) and Libertas.[3] Talks were also held with representatives from Radio Maryja,[3] which NP politicians had connections with from their days in LPR.[2]
Forward Poland rejected[6] cooperation with Libertas because Forward Poland felt that Libertas did not reflect their desire for a more independent Poland.[6] However, Forward Poland accepted political cooperation and joint programming with PSL Piast to contend the 2009 European Parliament elections under a common banner ("Naprzód Polsko-Piast"), and formally signed the agreement to that effect on March 1, 2009.[6] Present during the signing of the agreement were representatives from Konfederacja Polski Niepodległej (KPN), Zjednoczenie Chrześcijańsko-Narodowe (ZChN-u), Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy Rolników Indywidualnych "Solidarność", Związek Zawodowy Rolników "Ojczyzna" and Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy "Solidarność" 80.[6]
On the 19 May 2010 the party was de-registered as a political party and liquidation was concluded by 19 October 2010. Their members joined various different existing right-wing parties.
Structure
| Position | Person |
|---|---|
| President | Janusz Dobrosz[4] |
| Vice Presidents | Bogdan Pęk,[4] Jan Szewczak[4] |
| Secretary General | Sylwester Chruszcz[4] |
| Chairman of the Policy Council | Dariusz Grabowski[4] |
| Policy Council Vice President | Robert Rynkun-Werner |
| Treasurer | Andrzej Zapałowski[4] |
| President of the Supreme Audit Commission | Peter Frosik[4] |
| Spokesman | Bogusław Rogalski[4] |
Forward Poland in the European institutions
Forward Poland had the following MEPs in the 2004-2009 term of the European Parliament
They were all elected as members of LPR and all sat in the Union for Europe of the Nations group.
External links
References
- ^ "Naprzód Polsko" – nowa partia związana z Radiem Maryj, October 12, 2008, www.rp.pl, English translation here
- ^ a b c "Politycy związani z Radiem Maryja zakładają nowa partię", October 12, 2008, wiadomosci.gazeta.pl, English translation here
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Informacje na stronie Naprzód Polsko:174633029" from the Forward Poland website Archived 2008-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, English translation here
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Informacje na stronie Naprzód Polsko:2030235694" from the Forward Poland website Archived 2008-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, English translation here
- ^ a b c "Irlandzki milioner tworzy w Polsce antyeuropejski ruch", 7 January 2009, from www.tvp.info, English translation here
- ^ a b c d "Skrajna prawica razem, ale bez Libertas" 1 March 2009 from rp.pl, English translation here
