Politics of Poland

The politics of Poland takes the form of a unitary parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the president is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government.

Executive power is exercised, within the framework of a multi-party system, by the president and the Government, which consists of the Council of Ministers led by the prime minister. Its members are typically chosen from the majority party or coalition, in the lower house of parliament (the Sejm), although exceptions to this rule are not uncommon. The government is formally announced by the president, and must pass a motion of confidence in the Sejm within two weeks.

Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of parliament, Sejm and Senate. Members of Sejm are elected by proportional representation, with the provision that non-ethnic-minority parties must gain at least 5% of the national vote to enter the lower house. Currently five parties are represented. Parliamentary elections occur at least every four years.

The president, as the head of state, is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, has the power to veto legislation passed by parliament, which may be overridden by a majority of three fifths, and can dissolve the parliament under certain conditions. Among the bodies that administer the justice system, the following are distinguished:

Supreme Court;
Common courts;
Administrative courts;
Military courts.

Moreover, in times of war, the Constitution allows for the establishment of extraordinary courts or the establishment of an ad hoc procedure. Court proceedings have at least two instances. The main laws regulating the operation of the judiciary are:

The Act of 27 July 2001 - Law on the System of Common Courts;
The Act of July 25, 2002 - Law on the System of Administrative Courts;
The Act of August 21, 1997 - Law on the System of Military Courts;
The Act of 23 November 2002 on the Supreme Court;
The Act of 27 July 2001 on the National Council of the Judiciary.

Judges

Judges are appointed by the president, at the request of the National Council of the Judiciary, for an indefinite period. They cannot belong to political parties or trade unions, are independent, and are subject only to the Constitution and statutes. They are entitled to immunity and personal inviolability. Judges are also irremovable and their removal from office or suspension requires a court decision. The participation of other citizens in the administration of justice is defined by law and boils down to the application of the system of a lay judge in the first instance in common and military courts.

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy) is a supervisory body over common and military courts. It is headed by the first president of the Supreme Court, appointed for a six-year term by the president of the Republic of Poland, from among candidates presented by the General Assembly of the Supreme Court of Justice. Until 2018, the court was divided into four chambers: Civil, Criminal, Military and Labour, Social Security and Public Affairs. Since 2018, there are chambers: Civil, Criminal, Labour and Social Security, Extraordinary Control and Public Affairs, and Disciplinary. Apart from the General Assembly, the second body of judicial self-government is the College of the Supreme Court.

Common judiciary

The common judiciary has three tiers. Its structure consists of district, regional and appellate courts. The structure of the military judiciary is made up of garrison courts and military district courts. Its gradual restoration began in 1980 with the creation of the Supreme Administrative Court (Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny). The president of the Supreme Administrative Court is appointed by the president for a six-year term, from among the candidates nominated by the General Assembly of Judges of the Supreme Administrative Court.

National Council of the Judiciary

The National Council of the Judiciary (KRS, Krajowa Rada Sądownictwa) is a body established to protect the independence of courts and judges. It submits applications to the president to appoint judges The National Council of the Judiciary consists of: the first president of the Supreme Court, the minister of justice, the president of the Supreme Administrative Court, a person appointed by the president, 15 judges of the Supreme Court, common, administrative and military courts, four deputies and two senators. The term of office of elected members is four years. The chairman and two of his deputies are elected from among the members of the Council.

Tribunals

Elections

thumb|Results of the Sejm election by [[powiats]]

2023 parliamentary elections

thumb|Results of the first round of the 2025 presidential election by [[powiats]]

thumb|Results of the second round of the 2025 presidential election by [[powiats]]

2025 presidential election

National security

Poland's top national security goal is to further integrate with NATO and other west European defense, economic, and political institutions via a modernization and reorganization of its military. Polish military doctrine reflects the same defense nature as its NATO partners.

The combined Polish army consists of ~164,000 active duty personnel and in addition 234,000 reserves.

In 2009 the Armed Forces transformed into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished. Personnel levels and organization in the different branches are as follows (2004):

Land Forces: 60,000 (4 divisions, independent units and territorial forces)
Air Force: 26,000 (Air and Air Defense Corps)
Navy: 14,300 (2 Fleets)
Special Forces: 1,700 (4 Special Units – GROM, 1 PSK, "Formoza", special logistics Military Unit)

The Polish military continues to restructure and to modernize its equipment. The Polish Defense Ministry General Staff and the Land Forces staff have recently reorganized the latter into a NATO-compatible J/G-1 through J/G-6 structure. Budget constraints hamper such priority defense acquisitions as a multi-role fighter, improved communications systems, and an attack helicopter.

Poland continues to be a regional leader in support and participation in the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and has actively engaged most of its neighbors and other regional actors to build stable foundations for future European security arrangements. Poland continues its long record of strong support for United Nations peacekeeping operations; it maintaining a unit in Southern Lebanon (part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, a battalion in NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR), and providing and actually deploying the KFOR strategic reserve to Kosovo. Poland is a strong ally of the US in Europe, and it led the Multinational Division Central-South in Iraq in the 2000s.

Government Protection Bureau

The State Protection Service (Polish: Służba Ochrony Państwa, SOP) is Poland's equivalent of the Secret Service in the United States, providing antiterrorism and VIP security detail services for the government.

Administrative divisions

Poland is divided in 16 provinces or Voivodeships (województwa, singular – województwo): Lower Silesia, Kuyavia-Pomerania, Łódzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Lesser Poland, Masovian, Opolskie, Subcarpathia, Podlaskie, Pomerania, Silesia, Świętokrzyskie, Warmia-Masuria, Greater Poland and West Pomerania.

Foreign relations

Poland wields considerable influence in Central and Eastern Europe and is a middle power in international affairs. The foreign policy of Poland is based on four basic commitments: to Atlantic co-operation, to European integration, to international development and to international law. Since the collapse of communism and its re-establishment as a democratic nation, Poland has extended its responsibilities and position in European and Western affairs, supporting and establishing friendly foreign relations with both the West and with numerous European countries.

Due to its tragic historical experience with aggression of powerful neighbors (e.g., Partitions of Poland, Second World War), Polish foreign policy pursues close cooperation with a strong partner, one apt enough to give strong military support in times of critical situations. This creates the background of Poland's tight relations with the United States.<!-- This claim seems non-neutral, as it implies strained relations due to past historic events. These surveys suggest this claim to be false:

https://www.barometr-polska-niemcy.pl/#czy-niemcy-w-przyszlosci-moga-stanowic-dla-polski-zagrozenie-odpowiedzi-polakow-w-latach-2005-2020

https://cbos.pl/SPISKOM.POL/2021/K_135_21.PDF -->At the same time, the equally burdened attitude towards Russia results in very tense diplomatic relations, which have been constantly worsening since Vladimir Putin's rise to power. This is an important factor for the special attention Poland pays to the political emancipation of all its Eastern neighbors: Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.

Notes

References

External links

Erik Herron's Guide to Politics of East Central Europe and Eurasia
PGB surveys