ABSTRACT
Coalitions dominated the process of government formation in Poland. Moreover, from 2007 to 2021, except for one, all governments were supported by a parliamentary majority. The political scene, structured by the conflict between two post-Solidarity parties: Civic Platform (PO) and Law and Justice (PiS), simultaneously acted as the cabinet formateurs. Both entities developed formal and informal conflict management mechanisms that allowed the coalitions to survive external and internal crises. In the analysed period, the status of the Prime Minister, evolving from strong (Tusk I–II) to weak (Szydło I-Morawiecki I–III), was connected with the position of the dominant party leader inside or outside the cabinet.
