Marek Woch
Marek Woch | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Woch in 2024 | |
| President of the Labour Party | |
| Assumed office 20 September 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Zbigniew Wrzesiński |
| Chairman of Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy | |
| Assumed office 25 October 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Raczyński |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Marek Marian Woch 17 December 1978 Kąkolewnica, Poland |
| Party | Labour Party |
Other political affiliations | Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy |
| Alma mater |
|
Marek Marian Woch (Polish: [ˈmarɛk-'vɔt͡sx]; born 17 December 1978) is a Polish lawyer and politician. He has chaired the nationwide federation Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy since October 2024 and has served as president of the Labour Party since September 2025.[1][2][3]
Woch was a candidate in the 2025 Polish presidential election, finishing last among thirteen candidates with 18,338 votes, or 0.09 per cent.[4] In October 2025, he announced a proposed Senate electoral pact with far-right leader Grzegorz Braun. In July 2026, Woch and Law and Justice leader Jarosław Kaczyński announced cooperation intended to establish a broader right-wing pact for the next Senate election.[5][6][7]
Early life and education
[edit]Woch was born on 17 December 1978 in Kąkolewnica, in the Lublin Voivodeship. He initially attended a vocational school before continuing his education in law.[8]
He graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw, where he obtained a doctorate in legal sciences. He also completed studies at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics and Warsaw Management University.[8][9]
Professional career
[edit]From 2015 to 2019, Woch served as an expert to the parliamentary group for supporting entrepreneurship and economic patriotism. Between 2016 and 2019, he was the plenipotentiary of the president of the National Health Fund for relations with non-governmental organisations and public authorities.[1][9]
Woch joined the Office of the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in 2019. He was promoted to director-general in November 2020 and was appointed deputy Ombudsman for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises on 18 January 2023. He held the latter office until June 2024.[9][1]
His academic interests have included constitutional law, health law and the philosophy of law. He has also worked as a lecturer and published on legal and healthcare-related subjects.[9]
Political career
[edit]Early candidacies
[edit]Woch unsuccessfully ran for wójt of Gmina Kąkolewnica in a 2013 by-election and in the 2014 and 2018 Polish local elections. He received 84 votes in 2013, 141 in 2014 and 170 in 2018.[10][11][12]
In the 2015 Polish parliamentary election, he ran as an independent candidate for the Senate, receiving 11,413 votes. He subsequently contested the 2019 European Parliament election in Poland for Poland Fair Play, the 2019 Polish parliamentary election for the Coalition of Nonpartisan and Local Government Activists and the 2023 Polish parliamentary election for Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy, without winning a seat.[13][14][15][16]
In 2024, he ran unsuccessfully for the Lublin Voivodeship Sejmik and for the European Parliament, receiving 1,933 and 3,326 votes respectively.[17][18]
Leadership and presidential campaign
[edit]On 25 October 2024, Woch was elected chairman of the board of the Nationwide Federation "Bezpartyjni i Samorządowcy" for the 2024–2028 term, succeeding Robert Raczyński.[2] The federation subsequently selected him as its candidate in the 2025 Polish presidential election.[1]
His presidential candidacy was endorsed by several small organisations, including Social Alternative, the Labour Party, the Slavic Union and the Camp of Great Poland.[19] Woch finished last among thirteen candidates, receiving 18,338 votes, or 0.09 per cent.[4]
Before the second round, he endorsed Karol Nawrocki, the candidate supported by Law and Justice.[20]
On 20 September 2025, Woch became president of the Labour Party as part of a declared "personal and programme union" between the party, his federation and several smaller organisations. Former party president Zbigniew Wrzesiński became its honorary president.[3][21]
Political views
[edit]During the 2025 presidential campaign, Woch advocated replacing Poland's parliamentary system with a presidential–parliamentary system, increasing the powers of the president and creating the office of vice-president. He also proposed establishing a Polish National Guard under presidential authority.[1]
Woch supported Poland acquiring its own nuclear weapons rather than relying solely on NATO nuclear sharing.[22] His economic and administrative proposals included ending public subsidies for political parties, abolishing the National Health Fund and substantially restructuring or abolishing the Social Insurance Institution.[23]
Political alliances and controversies
[edit]Dispute within Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy
[edit]During the 2025 presidential campaign, a Lower Silesian faction using the Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy name stated that Woch was not its candidate and did not represent its political position. Woch responded that he had been nominated by the nationwide federation and called for the removal of the Lower Silesian activists from its structures.[24]
The conflict continued after three Lower Silesian regional councillors associated with the movement entered a coalition with the Polish People's Party. They were expelled from Woch's federation but continued to use the Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy name as a separate regional grouping.[25]
Associations with nationalist and pro-Russian groups
[edit]During the 2025 presidential campaign, Woch accepted the endorsement of the Slavic Union, a Russophile political party that supports Poland's withdrawal from the European Union and closer relations with Russia and Belarus. The Camp of Great Poland also endorsed him and made its domain prezydent25.pl redirect visitors to Woch's campaign website.[19]
In August 2025, Woch's federation announced that it intended to form a "personal and programme union" with the Camp of Great Poland. Two members of the association's governing bodies, Dawid Hudziec and Dawid Berezicki, had previously been involved in pro-Russian activities. Hudziec had lived in Russian-occupied Donetsk since 2014 and worked for the Russian outlet Novorossia Today. Berezicki had been placed under Ukrainian sanctions in 2015 for cooperation with the Novorossia news agency and was linked through leaked correspondence to Russian-funded pro-Russian demonstrations.[19]
Woch stated that the proposed cooperation with the Camp of Great Poland was intended to help replace sitting members of parliament in the 2027 election. The planned merger was abandoned before the federation's unification congress in September 2025.[19][21]
At the congress, the federation instead entered an arrangement with several other small organisations. These included an entity presented as the "National Camp", represented symbolically by nationalist activist Marcin Makowski. Makowski had previously stood for the Akcja Narodowa alliance and was associated with circles surrounding the nationalist weekly Myśl Polska and the radical, pro-Russian Kamraci movement.[21]
Agreements with Grzegorz Braun and Law and Justice
[edit]In October 2025, Woch and Grzegorz Braun announced plans for a right-wing and centre-right electoral pact in the next Senate election. The proposed arrangement was intended to prevent participating parties from standing competing candidates in individual Senate constituencies.[5][6]
In May 2026, Woch said that he did not regard Braun as politically untouchable and described Braun as the first national political leader with whom he had reached an agreement. He stated that the proposed pact remained open to candidates associated with Law and Justice and other right-wing parties.[25]
On 15 July 2026, Woch and Law and Justice chairman Jarosław Kaczyński announced cooperation aimed at arranging a common right-wing slate for the next Senate election. Kaczyński stated that the final structure had not been decided and could take the form of either a direct alliance or a separate civic electoral committee. Woch described the agreement as an expansion of his previously proposed Senate pact.[7][26]
Employee-rights investigation
[edit]In May 2025, the Warsaw-Śródmieście District Prosecutor's Office was conducting an investigation into alleged persistent and malicious violations of employee rights at the Office of the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. The investigation followed an anonymous complaint forwarded by the Warsaw Bar Association and concerned alleged conduct between September 2018 and January 2023.[27]
The inquiry covered allegations of intimidation, failure to pay employees for overtime work and physical violence. Several former employees had previously accused Woch of harassment, verbal abuse and requiring unpaid work outside normal hours. At the time the investigation became public, Woch was participating in the proceedings as a witness rather than as a suspect. He described the allegations as a political attack on Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy during an election campaign.[27][28]
Electoral history
[edit]President
[edit]| Election | Affiliation | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy | 18,338[4] | 0.09% | Not elected |
Sejm
[edit]| Election | Affiliation | Votes | % | Constituency | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy | 1,314 | 0.23% | No. 6 | Not elected |
| 2023 | Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy | 2,500 | 0.39% | No. 6 | Not elected |
Senate
[edit]| Election | Affiliation | Votes | % | Constituency | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Independent | 11,413 | 11.75% | No. 17 | Not elected |
European Parliament
[edit]| Election | Affiliation | Votes | % | Constituency | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Poland Fair Play | 2,040 | 0.28% | Lublin | Not elected |
| 2024 | Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy | 3,326 | 0.25% | Warsaw | Not elected |
Wójt of Kąkolewnica
[edit]| Election | Affiliation | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Independent | 84 | 2.74% | Not elected |
| 2014 | Independent | 141 | 3.59% | Not elected |
| 2018 | Independent | 170 | 4.26% | Not elected |
Regional assemblies
[edit]| Election | Affiliation | Votes | % | Assembly | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy | 1,933 | 0.77% | Lublin | Not elected |
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Kim jest kandydat na prezydenta Marek Woch" [Who is presidential candidate Marek Woch?]. TVN24 (in Polish). 25 April 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Marek Woch zastępuje Prezydenta Lubina Roberta Raczyńskiego w kierowaniu Ogólnopolską Federacją „Bezpartyjni i Samorządowcy"" [Marek Woch replaces Lubin mayor Robert Raczyński as leader of the Nationwide Federation "Nonpartisan and Local Government Activists"]. Wokół Zamościa (in Polish). 6 November 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Władze Partii" [Party authorities]. Biuletyn Informacji Publicznej – Stronnictwo Pracy (in Polish). 29 September 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Woch Marek Marian". National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 Malinowski, Przemysław (31 October 2025). "Nowy pakt senacki ogłoszony. Marek Woch o współpracy z Grzegorzem Braunem: Nie będziemy czekać" [New Senate pact announced: Marek Woch on cooperation with Grzegorz Braun]. Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Polish prosecutors investigate far-right lawmaker for comments on Auschwitz". Associated Press. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Nowa współpraca na prawicy. Prezes PiS: musimy się zjednoczyć" [New cooperation on the right: PiS leader says that the right must unite] (in Polish). Polish Press Agency. 15 July 2026. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Marek Woch. Kim jest kandydat na prezydenta Polski" [Marek Woch: who is the candidate for president of Poland?]. Onet (in Polish). 15 May 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Dr n. pr. Marek Woch Zastępcą Rzecznika Małych i Średnich Przedsiębiorców" [Marek Woch appointed deputy Ombudsman for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises] (in Polish). Office of the Ombudsman for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. 18 January 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wybory przedterminowe Wójta Gminy Kąkolewnica, zarządzone na dzień 20 stycznia 2013 r." [Kąkolewnica commune head by-election of 20 January 2013] (in Polish). National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wybory Burmistrza – I tura" [Mayor election – first round] (in Polish). National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wyniki głosowania i wyborów Wójta – Gmina Kąkolewnica" [Voting and election results for the head of Kąkolewnica commune] (in Polish). National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wyniki wyborów do Senatu RP – okręg nr 17" [Senate election results – constituency no. 17] (in Polish). National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Komitet Wyborczy Wyborców Polska Fair Play Bezpartyjni Gwiazdowski – okręg nr 8" (in Polish). National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wyniki wyborów 2019 do Sejmu RP – okręg nr 6" (in Polish). National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wyniki głosowania w wyborach do Sejmu w 2023 r. – okręg nr 6" (in Polish). National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Wyniki w okręgu wyborczym nr 2 w wyborach do Sejmiku Województwa Lubelskiego" (in Polish). National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Komitet Wyborczy Wyborców Bezpartyjni Samorządowcy – Normalna Polska w Normalnej Europie" (in Polish). National Electoral Commission. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Mierzyńska, Anna (14 August 2025). "Nowe prorosyjskie ugrupowanie w Polsce. Marek Woch tworzy układ z Obozem Wielkiej Polski" [New pro-Russian grouping in Poland: Marek Woch forms an arrangement with the Camp of Great Poland]. OKO.press (in Polish). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Rywal z I tury poparł Nawrockiego. „Od zera do bohatera"" [First-round rival endorses Nawrocki]. Polsat News (in Polish). 28 May 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Mierzyńska, Anna (23 September 2025). "Marek Woch i prorosyjski narodowiec od kamratów. Z kim współpracuje były kandydat na prezydenta?" [Marek Woch and a pro-Russian nationalist associated with the Kamraci movement]. OKO.press (in Polish). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ Kozubal, Marek (1 May 2025). "Kandydat na prezydenta Marek Woch: Polska powinna mieć broń jądrową" [Presidential candidate Marek Woch: Poland should possess nuclear weapons]. Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Kandydaci spoza czołowej szóstki. Oto najważniejsze punkty ich programów wyborczych" [Candidates outside the leading six: the main points of their electoral programmes] (in Polish). Polish Press Agency. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Marek Woch odpowiada lokalnemu ruchowi. Opublikował wpis" [Marek Woch responds to local movement]. Interia (in Polish). 18 April 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 Makarewicz, Błażej (13 May 2026). "Czarny koń prawicy? „Jestem dzisiaj gotowy, żeby wystawić tysiąc osób"" [A dark horse of the right? "I am ready to field one thousand candidates"]. Radio ZET (in Polish). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ Stępień, Mikołaj (15 July 2026). "PiS szuka koalicjantów przed wyborami. Jarosław Kaczyński ogłasza porozumienie" [PiS seeks election partners: Jarosław Kaczyński announces an agreement]. TVN24 (in Polish). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 Ferfecki, Wiktor (29 May 2025). "Kłopoty kandydata na prezydenta. Dochodzenie w sprawie mobbingu" [Problems for presidential candidate: investigation into workplace bullying]. Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Kandydat na prezydenta Marek Woch ma duże kłopoty. Prokuratura bada sprawę nagłośnioną przez TOK FM" [Prosecutors investigate allegations concerning former presidential candidate Marek Woch]. TOK FM (in Polish). 29 May 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
