Polish legislative election, 1957

← 1952

January 20, 1957 (1957-01-20)

1961 →

All 459 seats in the Sejm

Turnout

94.14%

	First party

Leader	Władysław Gomułka
Party	FJN - PZPR
Leader since	21 October 1956
Leader's seat	Warsaw-Prague
Last election	388 seats, 91.2%
Seats won	396 (PZPR - 239, ZSL - 118, SD - 39), 80.8%
Seat change	+8

Premier before election

Józef Cyrankiewicz
PZPR

Premier

Józef Cyrankiewicz
PZPR

Parliamentary elections were held in Poland on 20 January 1957. They were the second election to the Sejm – the unicameral parliament of the People's Republic of Poland, and the third ever in the history of Communist Poland. It took place during the liberalization period, following Władysław Gomułka's ascension to power. Although conducted in a more liberal atmosphere than previous elections, they were far from free. Voters had the option of voting against some official candidates; de facto having a small chance to express a vote of no confidence against the government and the ruling Communist Polish United Workers Party. However, as in all Communist countries, there was no opportunity to elect any true opposition members to the Sejm. The elections resulted in a predictable victory for the Front of National Unity, dominated by the PZPR.

While the elections were a clear victory for Gomułka, they did not guarantee lasting changes in the Polish society. Gomułka's rule was somewhat more humane than that of his predecessor, hardline Stalinist Bolesław Bierut, and enjoyed moderate support during the first few years after the election in the "little stabilization" period of 1957–1963. However, by the mid-1960s it faced opposition from the competing factions in the PZPR itself. Coupled with growing popular opposition to Communist rule, Gomułka would be removed from power in the aftermath of the 1968 political crisis and the Polish 1970 protests.

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Wikipedia