With a majority of ministers endorsed by the Solidarity trade union, it was the first government in Poland and anywhere in Eastern Europe since the late 1940s not to be dominated by Communists and fellow travelers.

Only around 35% of the Sejm would be up for free election alongside the entire Senate, giving the Communist-dominated PRON alliance a seemingly guaranteed majority to form a government.

[1][2][3][4] Jaruzelski was elected president on 19 July, and designated Interior Minister Gen. Czesław Kiszczak to lead the government, with the intention of giving Solidarity a few token positions.

[4] On 17 August 1989, Wałęsa, Roman Malinowski and Jerzy Jóźwiak [pl] announced that Solidarity had formed a coalition with the ZSL and SD, commanding a majority in the Sejm.

Wałęsa proposed Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Bronisław Geremek and Jacek Kuroń as potential candidates, and the coalition partners agreed on the first of the three.