Editing Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)

{{Short description|Polish centre-left political party}}
{{multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date = October 2010}}
{{original research|date=October 2010}}
{{Expand Polish|topic=hist|Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej|date=July 2017}}
}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = Democratic Left Alliance
| logo             = Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej Teillogo.svg
| logo_size        = 125px
| colorcode        = {{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}
| leader           = [[Włodzimierz Czarzasty]]
| founder          = [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]]
| foundation       = {{Start date and age|1991|07|09|df=y|br=y}}<br/>(as a coalition)<br/>{{Start date and age|1999|04|15|df=y|br=y}}<br/>(as a party)
| dissolution      = {{End date and age|2021|10|9|df=y}}
| ideology         = {{Nowrap|[[Social democracy]]<br>[[Pro-Europeanism]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,24463976,sld-dolacza-do-koalicji-europejskiej-na-eurowybory-kandydatami.html|title=SLD dołącza do Koalicji Europejskiej na eurowybory. Kandydatami m.in. Miller, Belka i Cimoszewicz|website=gazetapl|date=16 February 2019 |language=pl|access-date=2019-05-08}}</ref><br>[[Atlanticism]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/sojusz-lewicy-demokratycznej-sld-6140602803644545c|title=SLD - historia|date=5 July 2017 |access-date=15 September 2019|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wnp.pl/parlamentarny/ludzie/wojna-z-terroryzmem-miller-broni-interwencji-w-iraku-w-2003-roku,14016.html|title=Miller broni wojny z terroryzmem|access-date=15 September 2019|language=pl}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://extra.natemat.pl/jak-rozptalimy|title=Jak rozpętaliśmy...|language=pl|access-date=15 September 2019|archive-date=14 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214131629/http://extra.natemat.pl/jak-rozptalimy|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
| headquarters     = ul. Złota 9 [[Warsaw]]
| international    = [[Progressive Alliance]]
| website          = {{URL|lewica.org.pl}}
| country          = Poland
| native_name      = {{Nobold|{{Lang|pl|Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej}}}}
| colours          = {{Color box|{{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Red]]
| merger           = [[Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland|SdRP]], minor parties (1991)
| merged           = [[New Left (Poland)|New Left]]
| position         = [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4g1CDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA352|title=The Baltic Sea Region: A Comprehensive Guide: History, Politics, Culture and Economy of a European Role Model|page=352|editor1-last=Henningsen|editor1-first=Bernd|editor2-last=Etzold|editor2-first=Tobias|editor3-last=Hanne|editor3-first=Krister|publisher=Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag|date=15 September 2017|isbn=978-3-8305-1727-6}}</ref>
| membership_year  = 2018
| membership       = 33,554<ref>{{cite web|title=Polskie partie to fikcja|url=http://www.rmf24.pl/fakty/polska/news-polskie-partie-to-fikcja,nId,724993|access-date=30 June 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614080806/http://www.rmf24.pl/fakty/polska/news-polskie-partie-to-fikcja%2CnId%2C724993|archive-date=14 June 2016}}</ref>
| youth_wing       = [[Social Democratic Youth Federation (Poland)|Social Democratic Youth Federation]]
| national         = [[The Left (Poland)|The Left]]{{cref|A}}
| european         = [[Party of European Socialists]]
| europarl         = [[Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats]]
| footnotes        = {{cnote|A|Previously [[Democratic Left Alliance – Labour Union|SLD-UP]] (2001–14), [[Left and Democrats]] (2006–08), [[United Left (Poland)|United Left]] (2015) and the [[European Coalition (Poland)|European Coalition]] (2019).}}
}}
The '''Democratic Left Alliance''' ({{Langx|pl|Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej}}) was a [[social democracy|social-democratic]]<ref name="Magone2010">{{cite book|author=José Magone|title=Contemporary European Politics: A Comparative Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g73UtvxJsFcC&pg=PA457|access-date=19 July 2013|date=26 August 2010|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-203-84639-1|page=457}}</ref><ref name="Jungerstam-Mulders">{{cite book|author=Susanne Jungerstam-Mulders|title=Post-Communist Eu Member States: Parties and Party Systems|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iNa6l58HNWoC&pg=PA94|access-date=6 February 2013|year=2006|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0-7546-4712-6|page=94}}</ref><ref name="Almeida">{{cite book|author=Dimitri Almeida|title=The Impact of European Integration on Political Parties: Beyond the Permissive Consensus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oD7bKbo0FYEC&pg=PT71|access-date=14 July 2013|date=27 April 2012|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-136-34039-0|page=71}}</ref> [[list of political parties in Poland|political party in Poland]]. It was formed on 9 July 1991 as an [[electoral alliance]] of [[centre-left politics|centre-left]] parties, and became a single party on 15 April 1999. It was the major coalition party in Poland between 1993 and 1997, and between 2001 and 2005, with four Prime ministers coming from the party: [[Józef Oleksy]], [[Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz]], [[Leszek Miller]] and [[Marek Belka]]. It then faded into opposition, overshadowed by the rise of [[Civic Platform]] and [[Law and Justice]].

In February 2020, the party initiated a process to absorb the [[Spring (political party)|Spring]] party, choosing the name [[New Left (Poland)|New Left]] ({{langx|pl|Nowa Lewica}}), and changing to a more modern logo.

The party was a member of the [[Party of European Socialists]] and [[Progressive Alliance]].

== History ==
=== Ideology and support patterns ===
The party can be classified as centre-left. However, during the 1990s, it managed to attract voters from the pro-market and even right-wing camp.<ref>''The Communist Successor Parties of Central and Eastern Europe'' by András Bozóki, [[John Ishiyama|John T. Ishiyama]]. M.E. Sharpe, 2002. pp 70-71</ref> The main support for SLD came from middle-rank state sector employees, retired people, former communist [[Polish United Workers Party]] (PZPR) and [[All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions]] (OPZZ)<ref>{{Cite web |title=SLD i OPZZ idą razem do wyborów |url=https://radioolsztyn.pl/sld-i-opzz-ida-razem-do-wyborow/01223381 |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=Radio Olsztyn |language=pl-PL}}</ref> members and those who were unlikely to be frequent church-goers.<ref>''The Communist Successor Parties of Central and Eastern Europe'' by András Bozóki, John T. Ishiyama. M.E. Sharpe, 2002. p. 82</ref> The core of the coalition (Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland) rejected concepts such as [[Lustration in Poland|lustration]] and de-communization, supported a parliamentarian regime with only the role of an arbiter for the president and criticized the right-wing camp for the introduction of religious education into school.<ref>''Communist and Post-communist Parties in Europe'' edited by Uwe Backes, Patrick Moreau. p. 321.</ref> The ex-communists criticized the economic reforms, pointing to the high social costs, without negating the reforms per se.

=== Coalition ===
SdRP, SDU and some other [[socialism|socialist]] and social-democratic parties had formed the original Democratic Left Alliance as a centre-left coalition just prior to the nation's first free elections in 1991. In 1999 the coalition became a party but lost some members.

At the time, the coalition's membership drew mostly from the former PZPR. An alliance between the SLD and the [[Polish People's Party]] (PSL) ruled Poland in the years 1993–1997. However, the coalition lost power to the [[right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Solidarity Electoral Action]] in the [[1997 Polish parliamentary election|1997 election]] as the right-wing opposition was united this time and because of the decline of support for SLD's coalition partner PSL, though the SLD itself actually gained votes.

=== Electoral victory ===
SLD formed a coalition with [[Labour Union (Poland)|Labour Union]] before the [[2001 Polish parliamentary election|2001 Polish election]] and won it overwhelmingly at last by capturing about 5.3 million votes, 42% of the whole and won 200 of 460 seats in the [[Sejm of the Republic of Poland|Sejm]] and 75 of 100 in the [[Senate of the Republic of Poland|Senate]]. After the elections, the coalition was joined by the Polish People's Party (PSL) in forming a government and [[Leszek Miller]] became the Prime Minister. In March 2003, the PSL left the coalition.

=== Rywin affair ===
By 2004, the support for SLD in the polls had dropped from about 30% to just below 10%, and several high-ranking party members had been accused of taking part in high-profile political scandals by the mainstream press, including the [[Rywin affair]], in which film producer [[Lew Rywin]], claiming to be acting on behalf of the government, sought a bribe from the editor of the ''[[Gazeta Wyborcza]]'' newspaper in return for favourable amendments to a proposed new law on media ownership. Prime Minister Leszek Miller was obliged under Polish law to report the attempted bribery to the police when it was brought to his attention, but did not do so.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-06-09 |title=Bribery case threatens Polish government |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jun/09/filmnews.poland |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

On 6 March 2004, Miller resigned as party leader and was replaced by Krzysztof Janik. On March 26, the Sejm speaker [[Marek Borowski]], together with other high-ranking SLD officials, announced the creation of a new centre-left party, the [[Social Democracy of Poland|Social Democratic Party of Poland]]. On the next day, Leszek Miller announced he would step down as Prime Minister on 2 May 2004, the day after Poland joined the [[European Union]]. Miller proceeded to do so.

=== Decline after Rywin-gate ===
In the [[2004 European Parliament election in Poland|2004 European Parliament election]], it only received 9% of the votes, giving it 5 of 54 seats reserved for Poland in the [[European Parliament]], as part of the [[Party of European Socialists]].

[[Wojciech Olejniczak]], the former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, was elected the president of SLD on 29 May 2004, succeeded [[Józef Oleksy]], who resigned from the post of Polish Prime Minister due to false accusations of links to the [[KGB]].

=== Opposition and decline: 2005 and after ===
The 2004 European elections foreshadowed the SLD's huge defeat in the [[2005 Polish parliamentary election|2005 parliamentary election]], in which it won only 11.3% of the vote. This gave the party 55 seats, barely a quarter of what it had had prior to the election. It also lost all of its senators. In late 2006, a [[centre-left]] [[Political coalition|political alliance]] called [[Left and Democrats]] was created, comprising SLD and smaller [[centre-left]] parties, the Labour Union, the Social Democratic Party of Poland, and the liberal [[Democratic Party – demokraci.pl]]. The coalition won a disappointing 13% in the [[2007 Polish parliamentary election|2007 parliamentary election]] and was dissolved soon after in April 2008. On 31 May 2008, Olejniczak was replaced by [[Grzegorz Napieralski]] as an SLD leader.

In the [[2009 European Parliament election in Poland|2009 European election]], the [[Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union]] joint ticket received 12% of the vote and seven MEPs were elected as part of the newly retitled [[Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats|Socialists & Democrats]] group.

In the [[2011 Polish parliamentary election|2011 parliamentary election]], SLD received 8.24% of the vote which gave it 27 seats in the Sejm.<ref name="pkw-results2011">{{cite web|url=http://wybory2011.pkw.gov.pl/wsw/en/000000.html|title=Elections 2011 – Election results|publisher=National Electoral Commission|access-date=2011-11-20|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214075746/http://wybory2011.pkw.gov.pl/wsw/en/000000.html|archive-date=2011-12-14}}</ref> After the elections, one of the party members, Sławomir Kopyciński, decided to leave SLD and join [[Palikot's Movement]].<ref name="kopycinski">{{cite web|url=http://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/362577,posel-kopycinski-z-sld-przeszedl-do-ruchu-palikota.html|title=Poseł Kopyciński z SLD przeszedł do Ruchu Palikota|date=2011-10-20|access-date=2011-11-20|publisher=[[Dziennik Polska-Europa-Świat|.dziennik.pl]]|language=pl|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122063254/http://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/362577,posel-kopycinski-z-sld-przeszedl-do-ruchu-palikota.html|archive-date=2011-11-22}}</ref> On December 10, 2011, Leszek Miller was chosen to return as the party leader.

In the [[2014 European Parliament election in Poland|2014 European elections]], on 25 May 2014, the SLD received 9.4% of the national vote and returned four MEPs.

In July 2015, the SLD formed the [[United Left (Poland)|United Left]] electoral alliance along with [[Your Movement]] (TR), [[Labour United]] (UP) and [[The Greens (Poland)|The Greens]] (PZ) and minor parties to contest the upcoming election.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/214270,Polish-left-to-unite-for-general-election|title=Polish left to unite for general election|website=thenews.pl|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041744/http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/214270,Polish-left-to-unite-for-general-election|archive-date=1 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/215243,United-Left-to-unveil-programme-in-midAugust|title=United Left to unveil programme in mid-August|website=thenews.pl|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033301/http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/215243,United-Left-to-unveil-programme-in-midAugust|archive-date=1 December 2017}}</ref>

In the [[2015 Polish parliamentary election|2015 parliamentary election]] held on 25 October 2015, the United Left list received 7.6% of the vote,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/11/03/did-poland-just-vote-in-an-authoritarian-government|title=Did Poland just vote in an authoritarian government?|author1=Hubert Tworzecki|author2=Radosław Markowski|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=2015-11-03|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205133304/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/11/03/did-poland-just-vote-in-an-authoritarian-government/|archive-date=2016-12-05}}</ref> below the 8% threshold (electoral alliances must win at least 8% of the vote, as opposed to the 5% for individual parties),<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/22/polish-elections-2015-a-guide-to-the-parties-polls-and-electoral-system|title=Polish elections 2015: a guide to the parties, polls and electoral system|last=Nardelli|first=Alberto|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=2015-10-22|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109201451/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/22/polish-elections-2015-a-guide-to-the-parties-polls-and-electoral-system|archive-date=2017-01-09}}</ref> leaving the SLD without parliamentary representation for the first time. Indeed, for the first time since the end of Communism, no centre-left parties won any seats in this election.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2015/10/28/right-wing-shift-new-polish-parliament-has-left-wing/ywLYGOUE5TVOyCyKRCzzfI/story.html|title=Left wing is shut out in parliamentary vote in conservative Poland|last=Gaeta|first=Vanessa|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|work=[[The Boston Globe]]|date=2015-10-28|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304113733/https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2015/10/28/right-wing-shift-new-polish-parliament-has-left-wing/ywLYGOUE5TVOyCyKRCzzfI/story.html|archive-date=2017-03-04}}</ref>

In 2017, the party withdrew from the [[Socialist International]], while maintaining ties with the [[Progressive Alliance]].{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

For the 2019 parliamentary election, SLD formed an alliance with [[Together Party|Razem]] and [[Spring (political party)|Wiosna]],  known as [[The Left (Poland)|The Left]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medianarodowe.com/lewica-laczy-sily-sld-razem-i-wiosna-w-wspolnym-bloku/|title=Lewica łączy siły: SLD, Razem i Wiosna w wspólnym bloku|date=2019-07-18|website=Media Narodowe|language=pl-PL|access-date=2019-08-22}}</ref> In the [[2019 Polish parliamentary election|2019 parliamentary election]], the alliance won 12.6% of the vote and 49 seats in the Sejm, with the SLD winning 24. Later, it was announced that the Democratic Left Alliance would form with the [[Spring (political party)|Spring]] new political party called the New Left. The creation was delayed due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-06-09 |title=Zjednoczenie Lewicy nastąpi dopiero pod koniec roku |url=https://www.gazetaprawna.pl/wiadomosci/artykuly/1482208,zjednoczenie-sld-i-wiosny-w-nowa-lewice-kiedy.html |access-date=2023-01-18 |website=www.gazetaprawna.pl |language=pl}}</ref>

== Voter base ==
The SLD is usually seen as the face of the standard Polish left, having achieved notable electoral success during the 90s and benefitting from a strongly organized network of local offices, which span 320 of Poland's 380 administrative counties. For this reason, it was often viewed as the go-to party for left-leaning Poles for the majority of Poland's modern history.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://euobserver.com/opinion/145270|title=[Opinion] Polish Left need to unite for October election|website=EUobserver|date=4 July 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-10-18}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2018/04/30/what-are-the-prospects-for-the-polish-left/|title=What are the prospects for the Polish left?|last=Szczerbiak|first=Aleks|date=2018-04-30|website=[[London School of Economics]] series on Evidence-based analysis and commentary on European politics|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-18}}</ref> The party's monopoly on mainstream left-wing economic ideas in Poland however ended, after the right-wing [[Law and Justice]] party adopted many economically interventionist positions, which led a considerable portion of economically left-wing Poles to vote for Law and Justice instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/poland-election-vote-latest-populist-government-pis-law-and-justice-a9152246.html|title=Polish voters give their verdict on four years of right-wing populists|date=2019-10-12|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2019-10-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/poland-parliament-polish-socialists-election-left-alliance-spring-razem-a9113881.html|title=Socialists set to make comeback in Polish elections next month|date=2019-09-21|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2019-10-18}}</ref>

Besides self-described left-wingers, the party enjoys the support of many members of the country's police and military, but its largest voting bloc resides among former [[PZPR]] members, government officials and civil servants during the [[Polish People's Republic|PPR period]], which are seen as the party's core supporters. The loyal support of this voting bloc enabled the SLD to remain the largest party of the Polish left, even throughout the scandals that rocked the party in the early 2000s.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ips-journal.eu/regions/europe/article/show/lewica-a-united-polish-left-3741/|title=Lewica: a united Polish left|website=www.ips-journal.eu|date=23 September 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-10-16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.krakowpost.com/21837/2019/10/2019-election-for-polands-parliament-what-you-need-to-know|title=2019 election for Poland's parliament: What you need to know|date=2019-10-12|website=The Krakow Post|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-18}}</ref>

However, this electoral bloc was seen as unreliable by political observers{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}, as despite the fact that it originally constituted a huge voting bloc, that segment of the population would inevitably shrink as its members steadily age{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}. Following the passage of a "degradation law" by the ruling right-wing [[PiS]] party, which cut pensions and disability benefits to thousands of former bureaucrats, however, the party has undergone a revival, as more and more people's primary income came to be threatened by the new government policy. This led many of those affected to support the SLD, thus enlarging and mobilizing the formerly shrinking voting bloc.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://krytykapolityczna.pl/file/sites/4/2017/10/Political-cynicism-Resume-in-English.pdf|title=POLITICAL CYNICISM: The Case of Poland|last1=SADURA|first1=Przemysław|last2=SIERAKOWSKI|first2=Sławomir|year=2019}}</ref>

The SLD nonetheless made a significant effort to broaden its political appeal by joining forces with two smaller left-wing parties in 2019, creating [[The Left (Poland)|The Left]] political alliance, which poses itself as a 'modern' take on leftism.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-politics-opposition-idUSKCN1UD2H6|title=Poland's fragmented opposition coalesces into left, center blocs|date=2019-07-18|work=Reuters|access-date=2019-10-16|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://polskieradio.pl/art7784_2343731|title=Polish leftists join forces ahead of elections|website=PolskieRadio.pl|access-date=2019-10-18}}</ref>

== Election results ==
=== Sejm ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Election year
! Leader
! # of<br>votes
! % of<br>vote
! # of<br>overall seats won
! +/–
! Government
|-
! rowspan="2"| [[1991 Polish parliamentary election|1991]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz]]
| rowspan="2"| 1,344,820
| rowspan="2"| 11.99 (#2)
| rowspan="2"| {{Composition bar|60|460|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| rowspan="2"| {{decrease}} 113
| {{no2|[[Centre Agreement|PC]]–[[Christian National Union|ZChN]]–[[Peasants' Agreement|PSL-PL]]–[[Christian-Peasant Party|SLCh]] {{small|(1991–1992)}}}}
|-
| {{no2|[[Democratic Union (Poland)|UD]]–[[Christian National Union|ZChN]]–[[Party of Christian Democrats|PChD]]–[[Liberal Democratic Congress|KLD]]–[[Peasants' Agreement|PSL-PL]]–[[Christian-Peasant Party|SLCh]]–[[Polish Beer-Lovers' Party|PPPP]] {{small|(1992–1993)}}}}
|-
! [[1993 Polish parliamentary election|1993]]
| [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]]
| 2,815,169
| 20.41 ('''#1''')
| {{Composition bar|171|460|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 111
| {{yes2|SLD–[[Polish People's Party|PSL]]}}
|-
! [[1997 Polish parliamentary election|1997]]
| [[Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz]]
| 3,551,224
| 27.13 (#2)
| {{Composition bar|164|460|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 6
| {{no2|[[Solidarity Electoral Action|AWS]]–[[Freedom Union (Poland)|UW]]}}
|-
! rowspan="4"| [[2001 Polish parliamentary election|2001]]
| rowspan="3"| [[Leszek Miller]]
| rowspan="3"| 5,342,519
| rowspan="3"| 41.04 ('''#1''')
| rowspan="3"| {{Composition bar|200|460|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| rowspan="3"| {{increase}} 32
| {{yes2|SLD–[[Labour Union (Poland)|UP]]–[[Polish People's Party|PSL]] {{small|(2001-2003)}}}}
|-
| {{yes2|SLD–[[Labour Union (Poland)|UP]] {{small|(2003-2004)}}}}
|-
| {{yes2|SLD–[[Labour Union (Poland)|UP]]–[[Social Democracy of Poland|SDPL]] {{small|(2004-2005)}}}}
|-
| colspan=6|{{small|As part of the [[SLD-UP]] coalition, which won 216 seats in total.}}
|-
! rowspan="3"| [[2005 Polish parliamentary election|2005]]
| rowspan="4"| [[Wojciech Olejniczak]]
| rowspan="3"| 1,335,257
| rowspan="3"| 11.31 (#4)
| rowspan="3"| {{Composition bar|55|460|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| rowspan="3"| {{decrease}} 145
| {{no2|[[Law and Justice (Poland)|PiS]] Minority {{small|(2005)}}}}
|-
| {{no2|[[Law and Justice (Poland)|PiS]]–[[Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland|SRP]]–[[League of Polish Families|LPR]] {{small|(2006-2007)}}}}
|-
|{{no2|[[Law and Justice (Poland)|PiS]] Minority {{small|(2007)}}}}
|-
! rowspan=2| [[2007 Polish parliamentary election|2007]]
| 2,122,981
| 13.15 (#3)
| {{Composition bar|40|460|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 15
| {{no2|[[Civic Platform|PO]]–[[Polish People's Party|PSL]]}}
|-
| colspan=6|{{small|As part of the [[Left and Democrats]] coalition, which won 53 seats in total.}}
|-
! [[2011 Polish parliamentary election|2011]]
| [[Grzegorz Napieralski]]
| 1,184,303
| 8.24 (#5)
| {{Composition bar|27|460|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 13
| {{no2|[[Civic Platform|PO]]–[[Polish People's Party|PSL]]}}
|-
! rowspan=2| [[2015 Polish parliamentary election|2015]]
| [[Leszek Miller]]
| 1,147,102
| 7.55 (#5)
| {{Composition bar|0|460|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 27
| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}
|-
| colspan=6|{{small|As part of the [[United Left (Poland)|United Left]] coalition, which did not win any seats.}}
|-
! [[2019 Polish parliamentary election|2019]]
| [[Włodzimierz Czarzasty]]
| 2,319,946
| 12.56 (#3)
| {{Composition bar|49|460|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 49
| {{no2|[[Law and Justice (Poland)|PiS]]}}
|}

=== Senate ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Election year
! # of votes
! % of vote
! # of<br>overall seats won
! Seat change
!Majority
|-
! [[1991 Polish parliamentary election|1991]]
| 2,431,178
| 21.2
| {{Composition bar|4|100|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 4
| 
|-
! [[1993 Polish parliamentary election|1993]]
| 4,993,061
| 35.7
| {{Composition bar|37|100|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 33
| {{yes|SLD–[[Polish People's Party|PSL]]}}
|-
! [[1997 Polish parliamentary election|1997]]
| 6,091,721
| 45.7
| {{Composition bar|28|100|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 9
| {{no2|[[Solidarity Electoral Action|AWS]]}}
|-
! rowspan=2|[[2001 Polish parliamentary election|2001]]
| 10,476,677
| 38.7
| {{Composition bar|70|100|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 42
| {{yes|[[Democratic Left Alliance – Labour Union|SLD-UP]]}}
|-
| colspan="7" |<small>As part of the [[SLD-UP]] coalition, which won 75 seats in total.</small>
|-
! [[2005 Polish parliamentary election|2005]]
| 3,114,118
| 12.9
| {{Composition bar|0|100|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 70
| {{no2|[[Law and Justice (Poland)|PiS]]–[[Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland|SRP]]–[[League of Polish Families|LPR]]}}
|-
! rowspan=2|[[2007 Polish parliamentary election|2007]]
| 4,751,281
| 14.6
| {{Composition bar|2|100|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| {{no2|[[Civic Platform|PO]]}}
|-
| colspan="7" |<small>As part of the [[Left and Democrats]] coalition, which won 1 seat.</small>
|-
! [[2011 Polish parliamentary election|2011]]
| 1,307,547
| 9.0	
| {{Composition bar|2|100|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| {{no2|[[Civic Platform|PO]]-[[Polish People's Party|PSL]]}}
|-
! rowspan=2|[[2015 Polish parliamentary election|2015]]
| 595,206	
| 4.0
| {{Composition bar|0|100|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
|{{no2|[[Law and Justice (Poland)|PiS]]}}
|-
| colspan="7" |<small>As part of the [[United Left (Poland)|United Left]] coalition, which did not win any seats.</small>
|-
![[2019 Polish parliamentary election|2019]]
| 415,745	
| 2.3
| {{Composition bar|2|100|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| {{yes|[[Civic Coalition (Poland)|KO]]-[[Polish People's Party|PSL]]-SLD}}
|}

=== Presidential ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! rowspan=2|Election year
! rowspan=2|Candidate
! colspan=2|1st round
! colspan=2|2nd round
|-
! # of overall votes
! % of overall vote
! # of overall votes
! % of overall vote
|-
! [[1990 Polish presidential election|1990]]
| ''Supported [[Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz]]''
| 1,514,025
| 9.2 (#4)
| colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;"|
|-
! [[1995 Polish presidential election|1995]]
| '''[[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]]'''
| 6,275,670
| 35.1 ('''#1''')
| 9,704,439
| 51.7 ('''#1''')
|-
! [[2000 Polish presidential election|2000]]
| ''Supported '''[[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]]'''''
| 9,485,224
| 53.9 ('''#1''')
| colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;"|
|-
! [[2005 Polish presidential election|2005]]
| ''Supported [[Marek Borowski]]''
| 1,544,642
| 10.3% (#4) 
| colspan="4" style="background:lightgrey;"|
|-
! [[2010 Polish presidential election|2010]]
| [[Grzegorz Napieralski]]
| 2,299,870
| 13.7 (#3)
| colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;"|
|-
! [[2015 Polish presidential election|2015]]
| ''Supported [[Magdalena Ogórek]]''
| 353,883
| 2.4 (#5)
| colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;"|
|-
! [[2020 Polish presidential election|2020]]
| ''Supported [[Robert Biedroń]]''
| 432,129
| 2.2 (#6)
| colspan="2" style="background:lightgrey;"|
|-
|}

=== European Parliament ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Election year
! # of<br>votes
! % of<br>vote
! # of<br>overall seats won
! +/–
|-
! [[2004 European Parliament election in Poland|2004]]
| 569,311
| 9.4 (#5)
| {{Composition bar|5|54|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 5
|-
! [[2009 European Parliament election in Poland|2009]]
| 908,765
| 12.3 (#3)
| {{Composition bar|7|50|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 2
|-
! [[2014 European Parliament election in Poland|2014]]
| 667,319
| 9.4 (#3)
| {{Composition bar|5|51|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 2
|-
! [[2019 European Parliament election in Poland|2019]]
|812,584
|5.95 (38,47) (#2)
| {{Composition bar|5|51|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{nochange}}
|-
|colspan=5|<small>As part of the [[European Coalition (Poland)|European Coalition]], which won 22 seats in total.</small>
|}

=== Regional assemblies ===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Election year
! % of<br>vote
! # of<br>overall seats won
! +/–
|-
! [[1998 Polish local elections|1998]]
| 31.8 (#2)
| {{Composition bar|329|855|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
|-
! [[2002 Polish local elections|2002]]
| 24.7 ('''#1''')
| {{Composition bar|189|561|hex={{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
|
|-
! [[2006 Polish local elections|2006]]
| 14.3 (#3)
| {{Composition bar|66|561|{{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 123
|-
| colspan=7|<small>As part of the [[Left and Democrats]] coalition.</small>
|-
! [[2010 Polish local elections|2010]]
| 15.2 (#4)
| {{Composition bar|85|561|{{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 19
|-
! [[2014 Polish local elections|2014]]
| 8.8 (#4)
| {{Composition bar|28|555|{{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 57
|-
| colspan="7" |<small>As part of the SLD - The Left Together coalition.</small>
|-
! [[2018 Polish local elections|2018]]
| 6.7 (#4)
| {{Composition bar|11|552|{{party color|Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 17
|-
| colspan="7" |<small>As part of the SLD - The Left Together coalition.</small>
|}

== Presidents and Prime Ministers ==
=== Presidents of the Republic of Poland from SLD ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Name
!Image
!From
!To
|-
|[[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]]
|[[File:Aleksander kwasniewski konferencja (cropped).jpg|107x107px]]
|23 December 1995
|23 December 2005
|-
|}

=== Prime Ministers of the Republic of Poland from SLD ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Name
!Image
!From
!To
|-
|[[Józef Oleksy]]
|[[File:JKRUK 20090524 J%C3%93ZEF OLEKSY BUSKO IMG 7314.jpg|107x107px]]
|7 March 1995
|7 February 1996
|-
|[[Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz]]
|[[File:Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz Kancelaria Senatu.jpg|107x107px]]
|7 February 1996
|31 October 1997
|-
|[[Leszek Miller]]
|[[File:Leszek Miller Sejm 2013.JPG|107x107px]]
|19 October 2001
|2 May 2004
|-
|[[Marek Belka]]
|[[File:Marek Belka NBP.jpg|107x107px]]
|2 May 2004
|31 October 2005
|-
|}

== See also ==
*[[List of Democratic Left Alliance politicians]]
*[[Democratic Left Alliance-Labor Union]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej}}
*{{Official website}}
*[http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/7092/ The Warsaw Voice Article]. 24 November 2004.
{{SLDLeaders}}
{{Polish political parties|state=collapsed}}
{{Party of European Socialists}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Democratic Left Alliance| ]]
[[Category:1999 establishments in Poland]]
[[Category:2021 disestablishments in Poland]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 2021]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1999]]
[[Category:Centre-left parties]]