2023 Polish referendum
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15 October 2023
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| Voting system | Majority vote | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Outcome | Referendum failed because the required turnout of 50% of eligible voters was not reached. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Official website | |||||||||||||||||||||
1. Do you support the selling off of state assets to foreign entities, leading to the loss of Poles' control over strategic sectors of the economy? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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2. Do you support an increase in the retirement age, including the restoration of the increased retirement age to 67 for men and women? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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4. Do you support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, in accordance with the forced relocation mechanism imposed by the European bureaucracy? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: National Electoral Commission | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A referendum was held in Poland on 15 October 2023, taking place alongside the nationwide elections to the Senate and Sejm.[1][2]
Four questions had been announced by members of the government from 11 to 14 August. Voters were asked whether they approve of the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, an increase in the retirement age, the admission of immigrants under the EU relocation mechanism, and the removal of the barrier on Poland's border with Belarus.[3][4][5] The referendum was boycotted by the main opposition parties resulting in a turnout of only 40%[6] (compared to more than 70% for the election[7]). As a result of not exceeding the minimum validity threshold of 50% turnout, the results were not legally binding, making the referendum an example of a successful no-show strategy.
The referendum asked four questions:[5][8][2][9][10]
- "Do you support the selling off of state assets to foreign entities, leading to the loss of Poles' control over strategic sectors of the economy?"[a][b]
- "Do you support an increase in the retirement age, including the restoration of the increased retirement age to 67 for men and women?"[c]
- "Do you support the removal of the barrier on the border between the Republic of Poland and Republic of Belarus?"[d]
- "Do you support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, in accordance with the forced relocation mechanism imposed by the European bureaucracy?"[e]
The questions were criticised by opposition parties and commentators as purportedly aimed at the opposition leader and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk.[13] The ruling Law and Justice party was accused of inciting anti-immigrant sentiment to boost turnout among its voters on election day.[14] The law had been changed shortly before the announcement of the referendum to allow it to be held on the same day as the parliamentary election, which was referred to as a way to skirt past electoral campaign budget limits by the incumbent Law and Justice party under the false pretense of referendum funding.[15] The referendum questions were also phrased as leading or loaded questions.[16]
Originally the Privatization question was “Do you support the sell-off of state-owned enterprises?”.[11][12] This would later change to "Do you support the selling off of state assets to foreign entities, leading to the loss of Poles' control over strategic sectors of the economy?"
Exit poll
In the IPSOS exit poll, it was reported that the voter turnout in the referendum was around 40%, which falls below the minimum validity threshold of 50%, indicating that the referendum is non-binding.[17]
| Question number | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (asset sale) | 2.5% | 97.5% |
| 2 (retirement age) | 4% | 96% |
| 3 (barrier elimination) | 2.2% | 97.8% |
| 4 (forced immigrant acceptance) | 1.4% | 98.6% |
| Age | Turnout |
|---|---|
| 18 – 29 | 32.5% |
| 30 – 39 | 40.3% |
| 40 – 49 | 40.2% |
| 50 – 59 | 45.7% |
| 60 and over | 40.6% |
Result maps
- Results by voivodeship
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
- Turnout by voivodeship
Question 1
Question 2- Question 3
- Question 4
