CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE BULLETIN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00975A002900310001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 16, 2008
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 22, 1957
• Content Type: REPORT

25 YEAR
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CONTENTS
THE POLISH ELECTIONS
22 Jan 57 Current Intelligence Bulletin Page 2
Approved For Release 2008/12/16: CIA-RDP79T00975A002900310001-5
 Approved For Release 2008/12/16: CIA-RDP79T00975A002900310001-5
Faced with no practical alternative, the
Polish voters gave overwhelming support
on 20 January to Wladislaw Gomulka and
to the parliamentary candidates favored
by his regime. The mandate apparently
exceeded regime expectations, and will strengthen Gomulka's
hand in dealing with disruptive elements within his party.
Official results will not become known until
later in the week, but it appears that, with perhaps a few ex-
ceptions of little consequence, the composition of the Sejm
will be as planned by the regime with approximately 50 per-
cent of the seats going to Polish United Workers' (Commu-
nist) Party candidates, some 35 percent to the two collabo-
rating front parties, and the remainder to nonparty and Cath-
olic representatives. According to press reports, prelimi-
nary returns indicate that all of the party leaders who were
candidates were elected.
The high rate of participation, ranging
from 91 to 96 percent of eligible voters in areas reporting so
far, was encouraged by regime activists, who made personal
visits to those who had failed to register
L
Although there are no reports of intimidation or
coercion, few of the electorate other than students took advan-
tage of the opportunity to cast their ballot secretly.
The elections were orderly and quiet.
No significant
unrest was reported, even in the Lublin area where antiregime
agitation has been especially strong.
22 Jan 57 Current Intelligence Bulletin Page
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Approved For Release 2008/12/16: CIA-RDP79T00975A002900310001-5