Political competitors of the German minority in local and parliamentary elections in the years 1990-2019 in Opole Province

Abstract

The German minority has been successfully putting up candidates in local and parliamentary elections in the Opole Voivodeship since the 1990s. It has its representatives on all levels of local government in the region, as well as in the Polish parliament. In many local governments in Opolskie Province - including at the regional level - it co-manages, and in some communes and districts it exercises authority. In subsequent elections for more than three decades it has been competing for votes with political parties, regional or local committees, as well as with committees referring to ethnic issues, in Opolskie Province - silesian. The aim of this article is to indicate which of these committees are main political rivals of German minority at the level of municipalities, districts, regional assembly and in parliamentary elections in the Opolskie province. In order to determine this, the aggregated results of political groups, local committees and committees relating to ethnic issues were compared and analyzed with the results of the minority committee at the different levels of local government and in parliamentary elections. The research used research methods such as quantitative-qualitative analysis, case study, descriptive analysis, comparative analysis and desk research. In order to deepen the issues, to better understand them, as well as to confront information from data source and literature about political competitors, activists of the German minority were also asked in IDI interviews.