New progressive party launched in Poland

Robert Biedroń, 42, got his start in politics as an LGBT activist during the 1990s and became the first openly gay member of parliament in 2011.

He most recently served as mayor of Słupsk in northern Poland.

At the convention on Sunday, Biedroń promised a series of social support schemes and spoke of gender equality and minority rights.

“This is a progressive alternative to the current political establishment, both the government and the opposition,” says Jacek Kucharczyk, head of the Institute of Public Affairs in Warsaw.