“Everlasting Regional Ministers?” The Longevity of Polish Regional Board Members
“Everlasting Regional Ministers?” The Longevity of Polish Regional Board Members

Summary/Abstract: The article investigates the longevity of the careers of members of regional boards. By referring to the Polish phenomenon of ‘everlasting mayors’ investigated at the local level, the main research question was whether a similar trend can be discerned in relation to regional executives. The analysis indicates, firstly, that the majority of the regional elite had short careers, as they were in office for less than one term; nevertheless, 12% were re-elected at least twice. The second observation is that the duration spent in office by the current elite does not differ from that of their predecessors. However, the stabilisation of Polish regional party systems after 2006 created more favourable conditions for durable regional careers for members of certain parties (PSL and PO). Finally, the post held in the regional executive mattered. The positions of heads of regional boards could be recognised as attractive, as, despite the numerous instances of single-term mayors (more than a third), the visible group of those who were re-elected at least twice and everlasting heads of regional boards was large (nearly 10%).

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