Dorota Olko

Dorota Zofia Olko
Member of the Sejm
Serving
Assumed office
13 November 2023
ConstituencyWarsaw I
Personal details
Born (1988-01-13) 13 January 1988 (age 36)
Siedlce, Poland
Political partyLeft Together (2015-2024)
Other political
affiliations		The Left
Alma materUniversity of Warsaw
Occupationjournalist, sociologist

Dorota Zofia Olko [ˈdɔrɔta ˈɔlkɔ] ⓘ (born 13 January 1988) is a Polish politician, sociologist, and political activist. She is a member of left-wing Lewica Razem and has served as party spokesperson since 2016.[1] Member of Sejm since 2023.[2]

Biography

Olko was born in Siedlce, moved to Warsaw for university and stayed since. She graduated from University of Warsaw in 2011 with Master's degree in Sociology, then in 2012 with another Master's Degree in Journalism and communication and Postgraduate degree in Polish philology and text editing.[1] Also in 2011 Olko started her doctoral dissertation in Sociology on the perception of body and self-care in the Polish working class.[3] The thesis was only completed in 2023, her supervisor was prof. Małgorzata Jacyno [pl].[4]

She worked professionally in Gazeta Wyborcza, Krytyka Polityczna, and taught classes at her alma mater.[1]

Politics

Nine persons visible chanting on a stage with "Lewica" branding in the back
Olko (second from the left) alongside other The Left politicians during a 2023 convention

Dorota Olko was an early member of Left Together since its formation in 2015.[5] Originally she served as the spokesperson for the Warsaw District, but in October 2016 she was promoted to the nation-wide role. Olko was also a member of the committee for education and science[5] and currently serves on the National Board.[6]

She did not succeed in any national or local election before 2023, when she effectively replaced Magdalena Biejat on the Warsaw ballot, due to the latter moving over to Senat.[7] Notably, Olko outrivaled Anna Maria Żukowska and Agata Diduszko-Zyglewska [pl] vote-wise despite poorer media coverage and less advantageous ballot position.[8]

Her focus are the housing crisis, abortion, access to birth control, and public sector wages.[9]

Election results
Election Body Committee Votes (%) Constituency Elected?
2015 Sejm Together 874 (0.23%)[10] Siedlce (no. 18) No
2018 Masovian Sejmik Together 1,580 (0.42%)[11] Masovian Voivodeship No
2019 European Parliament Left Together[a] 2,965 (0.35%)[12] Masovian (no. 5) No
2019 Sejm The Left[b] 12,055 (2.66%)[13] Siedlce (no. 18) No
2023 Sejm The Left[c] 44,188 (2.58%)[2] Warsaw I (no. 19) Yes

References

  1. ^ a b c "Dorota Olko – Press Spokesperson – Partia Razem". LinkedIn. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Komitet Wyborczy Nowa Lewica w wyborach do Sejmu i Senatu w 2023 r." Sejm Senat 2023 (in Polish). Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza.
  3. ^ Przyborska, Katarzyna (24 October 2023). "Olko: Żeby praca nie była doświadczana jako wszechogarniająca". KrytykaPolityczna.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  4. ^ Olko, Dorota (26 September 2023). "Stosunek do ciała a nierówności społeczne. Analiza praktyk cielesnych klas ludowych w Polsce". Repozytorium UW (in Polish). Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Krytycznie o polskiej nauce". Partia Razem (in Polish). 30 September 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Struktura". Partia Razem (in Polish). Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  7. ^ Pietraszewski, Mikołaj (8 August 2023). "Magdalena Biejat nie będzie kandydować do Sejmu. Posłanka Lewicy ujawniła plany". Radio ZET (in Polish).
  8. ^ Gruszczyński, Arkadiusz (17 October 2023). "Dorota Olko, najbardziej zaskakująca nowa posłanka z Warszawy. Prześwietlamy, jak jej się udało dostać do Sejmu". wyborcza.pl Warszawa. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Do głosowania na nią zachęcał znany pisarz. Była czwarta na liście Lewicy, ma drugi wynik". TVN Warszawa (in Polish). 17 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Okręg nr 18. Wybory do Sejmu RP i Senatu RP w 2015 roku". Parlament 2015. Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Województwo mazowieckie. Wybory samorządowe 2018". Wybory 2018. Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza.
  12. ^ "Okręg nr 5. Wybory do Parlamentu Europejskiego 2019". PE 2019 (in Polish). Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza.
  13. ^ "Okręg nr 18. Wybory do Sejmu i Senatu Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 2019 r." Sejm Senat 2019 (in Polish). Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza.

Notes

  1. ^ Post-rebranding. Coalition with UP and RSS.
  2. ^ Formally registered as SLD candidate.
  3. ^ Formally registered as NL candidate.