Katarzyna Kulczyńska

Abstract

In the literature on the subject, urbanisation is regarded as one of the most impor-tant factors shaping electoral behaviour. The effect of this factor has also been corroborated by studies in Poland, where one can speak of urban- and rural-oriented parties. To determine the significance of the urban electorate in Poland, use was made of the procedure of backward elimi-nation of voters in the successive biggest towns. The next step involved identifying the structure of support for the leading presidential contenders in the 2010 election at each stage of the rank elimination of the towns. It was already in the parliamentary elections at the start of the 21st century that big cities and the larger of medium-sized towns turned out to be their 'engines': with their highest voter turnouts, they crucially affected the results at the national scale. That is why an analysis was made of voter alignment in towns of this size category over the years 2001-2007, and on this basis various electoral types of towns were distinguished.

Keywords: big and medium-sized towns, electoral types of towns, Poland

Roman Matykowski, Adam Mickiewicz University Institute of Socio-Economic Geography and Spatial Management Dzięgielowa 27, 61-680 Poznań: Poland