Particular issues of winning parties' election programs in parliamentary elections (1993 and 1997): comparative analysis [Research Article]]

The article is devoted to the research of selected issues of the election programs of the victorious political parties in the parliamentary elections in Western Galicia, i.e. in the Lesser Poland and Transcarpathian voivodeships in the parliamentary elections in 1992 and 1997. A comparative analysis of these programs was carried out. The ideological and program determination of Polish political parties was made according to the Comparative Manifesto Project and the ParlGov research project. The election programs of Polish political parties were elaborated according to such criteria as 1) prohibition of communist officials to perform political functions, attitude towards the communist heritage; 2) the role of the Catholic Church (separation of the state from the church), as well as the problems to which the Polish voters in general agree: 3) entering the European Union; 4) foreign policy towards Russia; 5) foreign policy towards Ukraine; 6) involvement to NATO and its enlargement. It has been shown that the election programs of right-wing parties or centre-right parties have common features, including the support of the Catholic Church in Poland, negative attitude towards the communist legacy, warning about the attitude towards Russia, usually more pro-EU and Euro-Atlantic orientation. It was also proved that, among all political formations, only the SLD election committee in its election programs of 1993 and 1997 advocated a decisive separation of the Catholic Church and the state. Most political parties that have won in West Galicia have conservative, Christian democratic or nationalistic ideology.