ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the fate of the centre-right in post-communist Poland by considering specifically the case of the Solidarity Electoral Action coalition. Solidarity Electoral Action appeared to break the cycle of disunity and incoherence on the Polish centre-right. Solidarity Electoral Action is interesting because it appeared to represent the best (and perhaps last) hope of bringing together the disparate forces of the Polish centre-right into a single, united political formation. The actions of leaders and the importance of decisions taken during the early transition period also offer little help in terms of explaining Solidarity Electoral Action's failure. Although at one stage it appeared that Solidarity Electoral Action could have provided the basis for a unified and coherent Polish centre-right grouping, it failed to use its four years in office to build on its 1997 victory. Structural-legacy approaches and critical-juncture or formative-moment approaches provide only partial explanations for Solidarity Electoral Action's failure.
