2023 Polish referendum

A referendum was held in Poland on 15 October 2023, taking place alongside the nationwide elections to the Senate and Sejm.^[1][2]

2023 Polish referendum

15 October 2023 (2023-10-15)
Voting system	Majority vote
Website	Official website
1. Do you support the selling off of state assets to foreign entities, leading to the loss of Poles' control over strategic sectors of the economy?
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 394,704 3.51% No 10,857,496 96.49% Valid votes 11,252,200 93.13% Invalid or blank votes 830,388 6.87% Total votes 12,082,588 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 29,532,595 40.91%
2. Do you support an increase in the retirement age, including the restoration of the increased retirement age to 67 for men and women?
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 608,254 5.39% No 10,675,211 94.61% Valid votes 11,283,465 93.39% Invalid or blank votes 799,123 6.61% Total votes 12,082,588 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 29,532,595 40.91%
3. Do you support the removal of the barrier on the border between Poland and Belarus?
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 445,270 3.96% No 10,808,410 96.04% Valid votes 11,253,680 93.14% Invalid or blank votes 828,908 6.86% Total votes 12,082,588 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 29,532,595 40.91%
4. Do you support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, in accordance with the forced relocation mechanism imposed by the European bureaucracy?
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 360,803 3.21% No 10,878,863 96.79% Valid votes 11,239,666 93.02% Invalid or blank votes 842,922 6.98% Total votes 12,082,588 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 29,532,595 40.91%
Source: National Electoral Commission

Four questions had been announced by members of the government from 11 to 14 August. Voters were asked whether they approve of the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, an increase in the retirement age, the admission of immigrants under the EU relocation mechanism, and the removal of the barrier on Poland's border with Belarus.^[3][4][5] The referendum was boycotted by the main opposition parties resulting in a turnout of only 40%^[6] (compared to more than 70% for the election^[7]). As a result of not exceeding the minimum validity threshold of 50% turnout, the results were not legally binding, making the referendum an example of a successful no-show strategy.

Questions

The referendum asked four questions:^{[5][8][2][9][10]}

1. "Do you support the selling off of state assets to foreign entities, leading to the loss of Poles' control over strategic sectors of the economy?"^[a]
2. "Do you support an increase in the retirement age, including the restoration of the increased retirement age to 67 for men and women?"^[b]
3. "Do you support the removal of the barrier on the border between the Republic of Poland and Republic of Belarus?"^[c]
4. "Do you support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, in accordance with the forced relocation mechanism imposed by the European bureaucracy?"^[d]

The questions were criticised by opposition parties and commentators as purportedly aimed at the opposition leader and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk.^[11] The ruling Law and Justice party was accused of inciting anti-immigrant sentiment to boost turnout among its voters on election day.^[12] The law had been changed shortly before the announcement of the referendum to allow it to be held on the same day as the parliamentary election, which was referred to as a way to skirt past electoral campaign budget limits by the incumbent Law and Justice party under the false pretense of referendum funding.^[13] The referendum questions were also phrased as leading or loaded questions.^[14]

Exit poll

In the IPSOS exit poll, it was reported that the voter turnout in the referendum was around 40%, which falls below the minimum validity threshold of 50%, indicating that the referendum is non-binding.^[15]

Distribution of votes in the exit poll questions according to IPSOS^[15]

Question number	Yes	No
1 (asset sale)	2.5%	97.5%
2 (retirement age)	4%	96%
3 (barrier elimination)	2.2%	97.8%
4 (forced immigrant acceptance)	1.4%	98.6%

Voter turnout by age groups according to IPSOS^[16]

Age	Turnout
18 – 29	32.5%
30 – 39	40.3%
40 – 49	40.2%
50 – 59	45.7%
60 and over	40.6%

See also

• 2016 Hungarian migrant quota referendum
• 2022 Hungarian LGBT in education referendum

Notes

1. Polish: Czy popierasz wyprzedaż majątku państwowego podmiotom zagranicznym, prowadzącą do utraty kontroli Polek i Polaków nad strategicznymi sektorami gospodarki?
2. Polish: Czy popierasz podniesienie wieku emerytalnego, w tym przywrócenie podwyższonego do 67 lat wieku emerytalnego dla kobiet i mężczyzn?
3. Polish: Czy popierasz likwidację bariery na granicy Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z Republiką Białorusi?
4. Polish: Czy popierasz przyjęcie tysięcy nielegalnych imigrantów z Bliskiego Wschodu i Afryki, zgodnie z przymusowym mechanizmem relokacji narzucanym przez biurokrację europejską?