Front of National Unity

(Redirected from Blok Demokratyczny)

Front of National Unity or National Unity Front (Polish: Front Jedności Narodu, FJN) was a popular front supervising elections in the Polish People's Republic which also acted as a coalition for the dominant communist Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) and its allies.[1] It was founded in 1952 as National Front (Front Narodowy) and renamed to Front of National Unity in 1956.[1] It was the heir of the Democratic Bloc (Blok Demokratyczny) which ran in the elections of 1947 before the merger between communists and socialists.

National Unity Front
Front Jedności Narodu
First leaderBolesław Bierut
Last leaderHenryk Jabłoński
Founded1947 (as Democratic Bloc)
Dissolved1983
Succeeded byPatriotic Movement for National Rebirth
Ideology
Political positionFar-left
Colors  Red
FNU election poster from mid 1970s.

The Front was created by and was subordinate to the PZPR.[2] Its membership included all three legal Polish political parties (the PZPR, Democratic Party, and United People's Party) and many organizations (such as trade unions).[2] During elections it had a near monopoly (varied depending on particular time) on registering candidates who had the right to participate in the elections.[1][2] As was the case with other popular fronts in the Soviet bloc, the member parties of the Front were largely subservient to the PZPR; they had to accept the PZPR's "leading role" as a condition of their existence.

In 1983 it was disbanded,[1] to be replaced by the Patriotic Movement for National Rebirth (Patriotyczny Ruch Odrodzenia Narodowego, PRON).

Leaders

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Electoral history

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Sejm elections

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ElectionVotes%Seats+/–PositionGovernment
19479,003,68280.1%
394 / 444
394 1stSuper-majority
195215,459,84999.8%
425 / 425
31 1stSole legal coalition
195716,563,31498.4%
459 / 459
34 1stSole legal coalition
196117,342,57098.3%
460 / 460
1 1stSole legal coalition
196518,742,15298.8%
460 / 460
1stSole legal coalition
196920,473,11499.2%
460 / 460
1stSole legal coalition
197221,746,24299.5%
460 / 460
1stSole legal coalition
197623,502,98399.4%
460 / 460
1stSole legal coalition
198024,683,05699.5%
460 / 460
1stSole legal coalition

References

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