Polish Constitution

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The Polish Constitution ( Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej ) was passed on April 2, 1997 by the Sejm and Senate (National Assembly) and adopted by the Polish people by popular vote on May 25, 1997. It has been in force since October 17, 1997. At the round table on April 7, 1989, the constitution of the People's Republic of Poland, tailored to the socialist dictatorship, was amended with the note that a new constitution had to be passed. Due to many different political currents and changing power structures in the government, the constitutional commission's group of experts made only slow progress in drafting a constitution.

history

Its predecessors were the Constitution of 1952 and the “Small Constitution” of 1992. The latter enabled the Polish state to function properly between 1990 and 1997.

In Poland , on May 3, 1791, the first constitution in Europe was drawn up; this is still a Polish holiday today.

content

The Polish constitution consists of thirteen chapters and 243 articles.

The preamble does not contain a typical Invocatio Dei , although God is mentioned ( both those who believe in God ... and those who do not share that belief ).

The preamble is followed by 13 chapters in which the republic, the fundamental rights and obligations, the sources of law, the state organs (Sejm and Senate, President, Council of Ministers), the territorial self-government, the judiciary, the other constitutional organs ( commissioner for civil rights etc.), the financial constitution, the extraordinary condition and the constitutional amendments as well as referendums are defined. This constitution follows the parliamentary tradition of the March constitution of 1921 , in which the Sejm and Senate play the most important roles.

Particular attention should be paid to the second chapter. The Polish constitution guarantees that all essential fundamental rights of a democratic constitutional state will be respected .

In the fourth chapter, the powers of the Polish parliamentary chambers, Sejm and Senate, are anchored. Chapters six and seven contain detailed regulations on the position of the Polish President and the Polish Government.

literature

  • Christiane Frantz: EU integration as a framework for transformation? Democratic consolidation in Poland by the European Union. In: Dieter Nohlen, Rainer-Olaf Schultze, Wichard Woyke (eds.): Political science paperbacks - studies and texts on the political problem areas and change tendencies in western industrial societies. Volume 29. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 2000.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Christiane Frantz: EU integration as a framework for transformation? - Democratic consolidation in Poland by the European Union . In: Dieter Nohlen, Rainer-Olaf Schultze, Wichard Woyke (Eds.): Political Science Paperbacks - Studies and Texts on the Political Problem Areas and Change Trends in Western Industrial Societies , Volume 29, Leske + Budrich, Opladen, 2000, pp. 55 + 56, pp 82-85.