Lawsuits in „election mode” on the example of the Białystok Appeal (2011–2017)

Abstract

The article discusses the matter of lawsuits in “election mode”, based on the article 111 Election Code. Author of the article did complete research in courts in Poland and qualitative research in the courts in the area Białystok Appeal. The court files concerned the years 2011– 2017. The vast majority of cases conducted in courts in the “election mode” concerned local elections, less frequent parliamentary elections, rarely other types of elections (presidential election, elections to the European Parliament). The research answers the questions: who is the applicant, who participates in the lawsuits, what requests are being made in lawsuits in “election mode”, what decisions are taken in the courts? The lawsuits in “election mode” are held in a special 24-hours mode, the research shows that a large part of cases fail to complete within the time limits imposed by the Election Code.