New Hope (Poland)

The New Hope (Polish: Nowa Nadzieja, Polish pronunciation: [ˈnowa naˈd͡ʑɛ.ja]; NN)^[1] is a right-wing political party in Poland. It is currently led by Sławomir Mentzen.^[2]

Founded in 2015 by Janusz Korwin-Mikke as a result of his removal from the Congress of the New Right, his former party,^[3] it was initially called Coalition for the Renewal of the Republic of Liberty and Hope (Polish: Koalicja Odnowy Rzeczypospolitej Wolność i Nadzieja) and then subsequently Confederation for the Renewal of the Republic of Liberty and Hope (Polish: Konfederacja Odnowy Rzeczypospolitej Wolność i Nadzieja), both abbreviated to just KORWiN or sometimes Liberty (Polish: Wolność).

Among the party's other members are Przemysław Wipler, who held a seat in the Polish Sejm, and Robert Iwaszkiewicz, Member of the European Parliament. The party's Polish name was originally a backronym of the founder's name Korwin-Mikke, who took part in the 2015 presidential election.^[4]

In 2018, the party formed a coalition with National Movement called Confederation.^[5]

History

The party was formed shortly after Janusz Korwin-Mikke was removed from the chairmanship of the Congress of the New Right (KNP). The pro-Korwin faction of the KNP ended up forming the KORWiN party ahead of the 2015 Polish presidential election. Janusz Korwin-Mikke finished fourth in that election, earning 3.26% of the vote (486,084 votes).^[6] In the 2015 Polish parliamentary election the party earned 4.76% of the vote (722,999 votes) but failed to reach the 5% electoral threshold needed to get any seats.^[7]

The party gained two seats during the VIII Sejm after Jacek Wilk and later Jakub Kulesza left Kukiz'15 to join KORWiN.

Ahead of the 2019 European Parliament election in Poland, KORWiN formed an alliance with the National Movement (RN) and other right-wing parties called the Confederation.^[8] Even though the coalition failed to get any seats, the main parties stayed together to contest the 2019 Polish parliamentary election. The Confederation ended up receiving 6.81% of the vote (1,256,953 votes) and 11 seats, five of which were taken by the KORWiN members.

For the 2020 Polish presidential election, KORWiN endorsed vice-chairman of the RN Krzysztof Bosak following his victory in the 2019–20 Confederation presidential primary. Bosak received 6.8% of the vote (1,317,380) which was by far the best result of any candidate (or party) endorsed by Janusz Korwin-Mikke.

In March 2022, claiming that the party had abandoned its libertarian roots and become Russophilic, three MPs left the party, creating a splinter group called Wolnościowcy.^[9]

On 15 October 2022, Korwin-Mikke stepped down as the party president and was replaced by Sławomir Mentzen, the party's then vice president. Mentzen has worked to transform the image of the party away from a personality cult of Korwin-Mikke culminating in changing the party's name to "New Hope."^[10] The founder of the party, Janusz Korwin-Mikke, was expelled from the party on October 28, 2023, which the party's leader, Sławomir Mentzen, justified with his controversial statements that harmed the party and contributed to it achieving a lower result than expected in the parliamentary elections this year. "^[11]

On April 21, 2024, in the second round of the presidential elections in Bełchatów, Patryk Marjan [pl], a party member, was elected, becoming the party's and Confederation's first city president.^[12]

Ideology and position

The New Hope has been described as a right-wing^[13] and far-right party.^[14][15][16] regarding social issues, the party is conservative,^[17] and regarding economic issues, it is right-libertarian.^{[18][19][20][21][22]}It has been also described as right-wing populist.^[23][24][25] It has expressed hard Eurosceptic views towards the European Union.^[26] After Mentzen replaced Korwin-Mikke as party leader, the party became more critical of Russia, with Mentzen describing Russia as the main threat to Poland, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a "murderer and a barbarian" and expressing support for Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War, while being sceptical of increased military aid due to equipment shortages in Poland.^[27]

Programme

The party's programme preamble calls for:^[28]

• rebuilding the basic values of the Polish culture and "Latin civilization" and the Christian moral foundations of society,
• construction of rule of law, fair and efficient governance based on the subsidiarity principle,
• implementation of the "eternal human aspirations for Freedom",
• respect for the private property of citizens and the fruits of their labor,
• striving for the implementation of the Polish national interest in the international arena and optimal conditions for the development of the Republic of Poland,
• strengthening the role of the family and creating favorable conditions for its development.

Other issues mentioned in the program are:

• the adoption of a new Polish constitution which takes into account the "principle of no harm to the willing" and the introduction of a presidential system; strengthening the tripartite division of powers by prohibiting the combination of positions in the legislative, executive and judiciary (especially the functions of a deputy and minister);
• the reduction of the role of the Sejm to the body deciding on the amount of taxes and controlling the executive power, and the reduction of the number of ministries;
• the creation of an eleven-person Council of State elected by the Senate and appointed by the President. According to the group's leader, it would take over the legislative initiative from the government
• elimination of PIT and CIT income taxes as well as inheritance and donation tax, as well as the abolition of compulsory pension and health insurance while respecting acquired rights;^{[clarification needed]}
• introducing in the constitution a ban on adopting a budget with a deficit in peacetime; regaining sovereignty which, according to the party, requires abandoning the Treaty of Lisbon and rebuilding the treaty base of the European Union;
• doubling defense spending;
• reintroduction of the death penalty.

Election results

Sejm

Election	Leader	Votes	%	Seats	Change	Government
2015	Janusz Korwin-Mikke	722,999	4.8 (#7)	0 / 460	New	Extra-parliamentary
2019		448,946	2.4 (#5)	5 / 460	5	PiS
		As part of Confederation coalition, which won 11 seats in total.
2023	Sławomir Mentzen	551,901	2.6 (#5)	8 / 460	3	KO–PL2050–KP–NL
		As part of Confederation coalition, which won 18 seats in total.

Presidential

References

External links

• Official website (in Polish)

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Political parties and political associations in Poland

Represented in
the Sejm

• United Right (191)
  • Law and Justice (165)
  • Sovereign Poland (18)
  • Renew RP (5)
  • Polish Affairs (1)
  • Independent (2)*
• Civic Coalition (157)
  • Civic Platform (127)
  • Modern (6)
  • Polish Initiative (4)
  • The Greens (3)
  • AGROunion (1)
  • Yes! For Poland (1)
  • Independents (15)**
• The Left (26)
  • New Left (19)
  • Left Together (7)
• Poland 2050 (33)
• Polish Coalition (32)
  • Polish People's Party (28)
  • Centre for Poland (3)
  • Independent (1)***
• Confederation (18)
  • National Movement (6)
  • New Hope (8)
  • Confederation of the Polish Crown (3)
• Kukiz'15 (3)

Represented in
the Senate

• United Right (34)
  • Law and Justice (29)
  • Sovereign Poland (1)
  • Independents (4)
• Civic Coalition (41)
  • Civic Platform (36)
  • Yes! For Poland (1)
  • Independents (4)
• Third Way (Poland) (12)
  • Poland 2050 (5)
  • Polish People's Party (4)
  • Centre for Poland (1)
  • Union of European Democrats (1)
  • Independent (1)
• The Left (9)
  • New Left (5)
  • Left Together (2)
  • Polish Socialist Party (1)
  • Labour Union (1)
• Independents (4)

Represented in the
European Parliament

• Civic Coalition (21)
  • Civic Platform (17)
  • Polish Initiative (1)
  • Independents (3)
• United Right (20)
  • Law and Justice (18)
  • United Poland (2)
• Confederation (6)
  • Confederation (3)
  • New Hope (2)
  • Confederation of the Polish Crown (1)
• Third Way (3)
  • Polish People's Party (2)
  • Poland 2050 (1)
• The Left (3)
  • New Left (3)

Other existing parties
and
political movements

• Polish Coalition
  • Alliance of Democrats
  • Silesians Together
  • Agreement (political party)
• Confederation
  • All-Polish Youth*
  • National League
  • Party of Drivers
  • Union of Christian Families
• United Beyond Boundaries
• Better Poland
• Civic Initiative
• Christian Democracy of the Third Polish Republic
• Common Powiat
• Edward Gierek's Economic Revival Movement
• Farmers from the Baltic to the Tatras
• Falanga
• First Self-Governance League
• Freedom and Equality
• Kashubian Association
• Labour Party
• League of Polish Families
• National Party of Retirees and Pensioners
• National Radical Camp (1993)*
• National Revival of Poland
• New Democracy - Yes
• Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy
• Organisation of the Polish Nation - Polish League
• Peasants' Party
• Piast Faction
• Polish Left
• Polish Pirate Party
• Polish Party of Animal Protection
• Polish Communist Party
• Real Politics Union
• Right Wing of the Republic
• Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland
• Self-Defence Rebirth
• Silesian Autonomy Movement*
• Silesian Regional Party*
• Silesian Separatist Movement*
• Socialist Alternative
• Solidarity*
• Slavic Union
• There is One Poland
• Workers' Democracy
• Freedomers
• German Minority****

Defunct parties

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth	Patriotic Party Hetmans' Party Familia Party

Pre-war and inter-war eras

Catholic People's Party Centrolew Communist Party of Poland (KPP) Communist Party of Western Ukraine Communist Party of Western Belorussia Front Morges Labor Party (PP) Labour Faction (1937) National Democracy Christian Union of National Unity Camp of Great Poland Popular National Union National Party National Radical Camp National Radical Camp (1934) National Radical Camp Falanga National Radical Camp ABC National People's Union National Workers' Party Polish-Catholic People's Party Polish Catholic Bloc Polish Christian Democratic Party Peasant Party People's Party Polish Centre Polish People's Party "Piast" Polish People's Party "Nowe Wyzwolenie" Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie" Polish Socialist Party (1892) Polish Socialist Party – Freedom, Equality, Independence Polish Socialist Party – Left Polish Socialist Party of the Prussian Partition Polish Socialist Party – Revolutionary Faction Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania

Communist era	Communist Party of Poland (Mijal) Confederation of Independent Poland Front of National Unity Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth Polish Workers' Party Polish United Workers' Party United People's Party

Modern era

Ancestral Home Alliance for Poland Alternative Social Movement Agreement for the Future – CenterLeft Catholic Electoral Action Catholic Electoral Committee "Fatherland" Centre Agreement Centre Agreement – Integrative Initiative Centre Agreement – Polish Union Christian Democracy Christian Democracy of the Third Polish Republic Christian National Union Christian-Peasant Party Citizens' Movement for Democratic Action Coalition for the Republic Confederation of Independent Poland Conservative People's Party Democratic Left Alliance Democratic Left Alliance – Labour Union Democratic Party – demokraci.pl Democratic Union Europa Plus European Coalition Feminist Initiative/Women's Party Forward Poland Freedom Union Initiative for Poland Initiative RP League and Self-Defense League of the Right of the Republic Left and Democrats Liberal Democratic Congress Libertas Poland Movement for Reconstruction of Poland Movement for the Republic Movement for the Republic – Patriotic Camp National Party (1989) National Party "Fatherland" National Self-Defence Front Nonpartisan Bloc for Support of Reforms Now! Social Alliance Patriotic Self-Defence Party of Regions Party X Peasants' Agreement People's National Movement Poland Comes First Polish Beer-Lovers' Party Poland Fair Play Polish Union Polish Reason of State Polish Labour Party - August 80 Polish National Party Reason Party Right Alliance Self-Defence of the Polish Nation Self-Defence Social Movement Social Justice Movement Solidarity Electoral Action Spring The Poor of Poland The Republicans Third Republic Movement United Left Your Movement

italic font – electoral alliances and/or popular fronts
*: Zbigniew Ajchler
**: Piotr Adamowicz et al.,
***: Marek Biernacki
****: not currently registered as a party

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