Electoral geography in Poland (original) (raw)

The paper focuses in the first place on the questions of electoral geography in Poland. In particular it concentrates on the author's suggestions concerning the spatial differences of voting preferences in the period of 1989-1997. After the year 1989, when the first free elections in Poland took place after fifty years of communist rule, there were two presidential elections held, four parliamentary elections, two elections of local authorities and two referendums. Owing to the spatial dimension of these elections their results can be used to analyse the spatial differentiation of Polish society. This paper analyses the election results in 49 voivodships. Owing to the large population and the culturally dualistic character of the Katowice voivodship this unit has been divided into two parts for easier analysis.