The Senate () is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the Sejm. The history of the Polish Senate stretches back over 500 years; it was one of the first constituent bodies of a bicameral parliament in Europe and existed without hiatus until the final partition of the Polish state in 1795. The contemporary Senate is composed of 100 senators elected by a universal ballot and is headed by the Marshal of the Senate (Marszałek Senatu). The incumbent Marshal of the Senate is Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska.
Following a brief period of existence under the Second Polish Republic, the Senate was again abolished by the authorities of the Polish People's Republic. It was not re-established until the collapse of the communist government and reinstatement of democracy in Poland in 1989. The Senate is based in Warsaw and is located in a building which forms part of the Sejm Complex on Wiejska Street, in close proximity to the Three Crosses Square and Ujazdów Castle.
Like most parliaments in the European Union, Poland's parliament is asymmetric, where the lower chamber is dominant over the upper chamber. Unlike the Sejm, the Senate cannot unilaterally veto legislation nor can it bring down the government in a vote of no confidence, and the chamber and its members generally receive far less attention compared to the Sejm.
Role
In line with Article 10, Paragraph 2, and Article 95 of the Polish Constitution of 2 April 1997, the Senate and the Sejm exercise legislative power. The Senate is composed of 100 senators who are elected for a term of four years in general election in a direct vote by secret ballot. Alongside the Sejm, the President of the Polish Republic, the Council of Ministers and all citizens of Poland, the Senate has the right to take legislative initiatives.
If it is necessary for the Sejm and Senate to convene jointly as a general session of the National Assembly, this joint session will be chaired by the Marshal of the Sejm or by the Marshal of the Senate. The Senate is allowed 30 days to examine any piece of draft legislation passed by the Sejm, 14 days if a bill is considered to be urgent. Any bill submitted by the Sejm to the Senate may be adopted by the latter without any amendments or amended or rejected (but any rejection or amendment may still be overruled by an absolute majority vote in the Sejm). Any resolution of the Senate, as a result of which a bill is repealed or amended, is considered to be passed provided it has not been rejected by the Sejm.
However, for the state budget, the Senate has 20 days to examine it. For amending the constitution, the Senate has 60 days for analysis. If the constitution is amended, identical wording of the amendment must be approved by both the Sejm and the Senate.
The president cannot decide to stage a nationwide referendum on matters of national importance except with explicit permission from the Senate. The Senate is also empowered to examine any reports submitted by the Commissioner for the Protection of Citizens' Rights and the National Broadcasting Council. Other than its significant involvement in the legislative process, the Senate is required to grant its consent in the case of appointment or removal of the President of the Supreme Chamber of Control, the President of the Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, the Commissioner for Protection of Citizens' Rights and the Ombudsman for Children and the General Inspector for Personal Data Protection.
However, unlike the Sejm, the Senate has no role in providing for oversight of the executive. The Senate currently appoints one member of the National Broadcasting Council, two members of the Council of the Institute of National Remembrance, two of its own senators to sit on the National Judiciary Board and three members of the Monetary Policy Council of the National Bank. The Marshal of the Senate and any 30 senators may also request the Constitutional Tribunal to examine any act of domestic legislation or international agreement to check that it complies with the constitution, ratified international agreements, and other legislation.
Since the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon, the Senate also has the right to report issues about option and implementation of European legislation in Poland to the central authorities of the European Union.
History
Kingdom and Commonwealth
thumb|left|A leaf from the Łaski Statute depicting the Polish Senate in 1503
The Senate can be traced back approximately five hundred years to a council of royal advisors. In the Nobles' Democracy, the Senate was a privy council rather than an upper chamber of the Sejm, and consisted of members of the royal cabinet and the royal court, together with burgraves, voivodes, prefects and castellans (all appointed by the king), and Catholic bishops (see Senatorial offices for details). It was not until 1453 that the first mention was made of a two chamber legislative body in which the 'lords' of the kingdom were represented in a 'council of lords', however, by 1493 the Sejm, made up of the king, Senate and Chamber of Deputies was finally established as a permanent legislative body for the Polish kingdom.
In 1501 at Mielnik, senators attempted to force the soon to be crowned king Alexander I Jagiellon to devolve all royal powers relating to the governing of the state to them. However, whilst Alexander first agreed, after his coronation he refused to affirm this privilege. Later the Nihil Novi act of 1505 affirmed the right of both the Chamber of Deputies and Senate to propagate common law for the kingdom. In 1529 the Senate finally reached a decision on its own composition; after the accession of Mazovia to the Kingdom of Poland, the Senate became composed of Roman Catholic diocesan bishops, voivodes, lesser and greater castellans, ministers (grand chamberlain, chancellor, deputy chancellors, grand treasurer and court Marshal), all of whom were appointed for life by the king. At this time the competences of the Senate were also laid down as pertaining to participation in legislation, foreign policy and the Sejm Court.
left|thumb|The 1661 session of the Senate in [[Jasna Góra]]
In 1537 the Senate followed a course of action which would have seen it become the most important institution in protecting landowners’ rights and freedoms. However, this view was at odds with those of Sigismund I the Old who believed that the Senate was becoming far too powerful. Resultantly, over the period of 1562–69, the Senate lost many of its powers and influence, eventually becoming subordinate to its formerly-equal companion body, the Chamber of Deputies. In 1569 a very important milestone was achieved when the Union of Lublin was signed and senators of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were incorporated into the Royal Senate of Poland in order to form the Senate of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In addition to this, senators from the autonomous Duchy of Prussia, a fiefdom of the Polish king, were incorporated after having been absent since gaining autonomy in 1466. After these developments the Senate was composed of 142 senators: 15 bishops, 35 provincial governors, 31 greater castellans, 47 lesser castellans and 14 ministers.
thumb|left|In 1791 the [[Great Sejm adopts the May 3 Constitution at the Royal Castle in Warsaw]]
This old senate did not include the separate post of the Senate Marshal. The Senate's sessions were presided over by the king, who was represented in person by the 'grand royal marshal', a figure who could ultimately be described as prime minister of the kingdom. It was this marshal who, on behalf of the king, presided over joint sessions (in which both the Senate and Chamber of Deputies took part) of the Sejm. Should the grand royal marshal by absent, sessions were presided over by the court's crown marshal. Both of these two marshals sat in the Senate and, like other senators, enjoyed a lifelong appointment by the king.
thumb|240px|right|Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, presents the Medal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland to [[Dawid Jung, 2024]]
Current term
Composition
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| style="background:; width:42%; color:white" | 42
| style="background:; width:12%; color:white" | 12
| style="background:; width:4%; color:white" | 4
| style="background:; width:34%; color:white" | 34
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Presidium
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
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!Office
! colspan="2" |<!--USE PARLIAMENTARY GROUP COLOR-->Holder
! colspan="2" |Terms of office
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |Senior Marshal
|
| style="background: #E6E6E6; text-align: left;" |Michał Seweryński
| colspan="2" style="background: #E6E6E6;" |13 November 2023
|-
! colspan="5" heigh=1em |
|-
| style="text-align: left;" |Marshal
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| style="text-align: left;" |Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska
|13 November 2023
|Incumbent
|-
| style="text-align: left;" rowspan="4"|Deputy Marshals
|
| style="text-align: left;" |Magdalena Biejat
|13 November 2023
|Incumbent
|-
|
| style="text-align: left;" |Rafał Grupiński
|13 November 2023
|Incumbent
|}
Senators
Historical composition of the Senate
Second Republic (1918–1939)
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="border:solid #000000 1px;font-size:95%;"
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{| width="100%" style="font-size:90%;"
| width="40" |
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| width="40" |1922
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{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 6.31%"| 7
| style="background-color: ; width: 2.70%"| 3
| style="background-color: ; width: 7.21%"| 8
| style="background-color: ; width: 15.32%"| 17
| style="background-color: ; width: 20.72%"| 23
| style="background-color: #0038b8; width: 3.60%"| 4
| style="background-color: ; width: 0.90%"| 1
| style="background-color: ; width: 43.24%"| 48
|}
|-
| 1928
|
{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 9.01%"| 10
| style="background-color: ; width: 1.80%"| 2
| style="background-color: ; width: 2.70%"| 3
| style="background-color: ; width: 6.31%"| 7
| style="background-color: ; width: 18.92%"| 21
| style="background-color: ; width: 4.50%"| 5
| style="background-color: ; width: 5.41%"| 6
| style="background-color: ; width: 8.11%"| 9
| style="background-color: ; width: 43.24%"| 48
|}
|-
| 1930
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{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 11.71%"| 13
| style="background-color: ; width: 2.703%"| 3
| style="background-color: #ffd700; width: 3.604%"| 4
| style="background-color: ; width: 1.802%"| 2
| style="background-color: ; width: 69.37%"| 77
| style="background-color: ; width: 10.81%"| 12
|}
|-
| 1935
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{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 100%"| 96
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| 1938
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{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: #0038b8; width: 1.04%"| 1
| style="background-color: #ffd700; width: 6.25%"| 6
| style="background-color: ; width: 23.96%"| 23
| style="background-color: ; width: 68.75%"| 66
|}
|}
PRL (1945–1989)
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="border:solid #000000 1px;font-size:95%;"
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| colspan="2" |
{| width="100%" style="font-size:90%;"
| width="40" |
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| width="40" | 1989
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{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 1%"| 1
| style="background-color: ; width: 99%"| 99
|}
|}
Third Republic (since 1989)
{| class="wikitable" width="100%" style="border:solid #000000 1px;font-size:95%;"
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| colspan="2" |
{| width="100%" style="font-size:90%;"
| width="40" |
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|-
| width="40" | 1991
|
{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 4%"| 4
| style="background-color: ; width: 11%"| 11
| style="background-color: ; width: 7%"| 7
| style="background-color: ; width: 21%"| 21
| style="background-color: ; width: 21%"| 21
| style="background-color: ; width: 3%"| 3
| style="background-color: ; width: 6%"| 6
| style="background-color: ; width: 5%"| 5
| style="background-color: ; width: 9%"| 9
| style="background-color: ; width: 9%"| 9
| style="background-color: ; width: 4%"| 4
|}
|-
| 1993
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{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 2%"| 2
| style="background-color: ; width: 37%"| 37
| style="background-color: ; width: 36%"| 36
| style="background-color: ; width: 9%"| 9
| style="background-color: #808080; width: 4%"| 4
| style="background-color: ; width: 4%"| 4
| style="background-color: ; width: 1%"| 1
| style="background-color: ; width: 1%"| 1
| style="background-color: ; width: 2%"| 2
| style="background-color: ; width: 4%"| 4
|}
|-
| 1997
|
{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 28%"| 28
| style="background-color: ; width: 3%"| 3
| style="background-color: ; width: 5%"| 5
| style="background-color: ; width: 5%"| 5
| style="background-color: ; width: 8%"| 8
| style="background-color: ; width: 51%"| 51
|}
|-
| 2001
|
{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 2%"| 2
| style="background-color: ; width: 75%"| 75
| style="background-color: ; width: 4%"| 4
| style="background-color: ; width: 2%"| 2
| style="background-color: ; width: 15%"| 15
| style="background-color: ; width: 2%"| 2
|}
|-
| 2005
|
{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 3%"| 3
| style="background-color: ; width: 2%"| 2
| style="background-color: ; width: 34%"| 34
| style="background-color: ; width: 5%"| 5
| style="background-color: ; width: 49%"| 49
| style="background-color: ; width: 7%"| 7
|}
|-
| 2007
|
{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 60%"| 60
| style="background-color: ; width: 1%"| 1
| style="background-color: ; width: 39%"| 39
|}
|-
| 2011
|
{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 63%"| 63
| style="background-color: ; width: 2%"| 2
| style="background-color: ; width: 4%"| 4
| style="background-color: ; width: 31%"| 31
|}
|-
| 2015
|
{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 34%"| 34
| style="background-color: ; width: 4%"| 4
| style="background-color: ; width: 61%"| 61
|}
|-
| 2019
|
{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 2%"| 2
| style="background-color: ; width: 43%"| 43
| style="background-color: ; width: 3%"| 3
| style="background-color: ; width: 4%"| 4
| style="background-color: ; width: 48%"| 48
|}
|-
| 2023
|
{| style="width:100%; text-align:center; font-weight:bold; color:white; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #000000;"
| style="background-color: ; width: 9%"| 9
| style="background-color: ; width: 41%"| 41
| style="background-color: ; width: 11%"| 11
| style="background-color: ; width: 5%"| 5
| style="background-color: ; width: 34%"| 34
|}
|}
Constituencies
Building
left|thumb|The Senate Building at the [[Sejm and Senate Complex of Poland|Sejm complex in Warsaw]]
The Senate building was originally an administrative building of the Polish Sejm that was built in the early 1950s and eventually became the Sejm library. However, in 1989, with the re-establishment of the Senate, the need for a permanent workplace for the new institution became obvious. At the time only the Sejm's chamber was big enough to hold Senate debates, so, as a compromise the Senate made temporary use of the Sejm chamber whilst plans for a new Senate building were drawn up. In the meantime the senate's administrative offices and facilities for senators were moved into Bohdan Pniewski's 1950s east wing of the Sejm complex.
It eventually became clear that the system of alternating with the Sejm in using the latter's debating chamber was becoming more and more problematic, and so, after another 18 months, during which the Senate made use of the Hall of Columns in the Sejm, work on the new Senate chamber finally began. The project revolved around a plan designed by architects Andrzej and Barbara Kaliszewski and Bohdan Napieralski, which would see three conference rooms on the first floor of what is now the Senate building combined to make one usable space, whilst not changing the external elevations of the building or significantly changing its interior style or character. Decorated in a scheme close to that of Pniewski's, which utilises a great number of soft shades of white and grey, the Senate chamber blends well with the rest of its architectural surroundings. The furniture for the chamber, much of which is upholstered in blueish-grey material was specially designed for the Senate's use and incorporates many design features characteristic of 1950s Polish modernism.
left|thumb|The iconic spiral staircase in the Senate building's main hall
Whilst the Senate chamber does have one elevation incorporating large windows, which look out into the Sejm gardens, the specially designed curtain, which was designed to cover them must always be drawn during debates and it is, in fact, rare to ever see it open. The necessity to close the curtains during debates exists to stop the sun's glare from distracting or disturbing senators during plenary sessions. Behind the presidium, the back of which faces the glazed elevation, hangs a large copy of the coat of arms of Poland. On either side of the presidium there are places available for government advisors and independent experts who may be required to take part in debates, whilst at the back, around the edge of the chamber there are a small number of places reserved for the public. There is also a special space reserved for the president of Poland, over which hangs an embroidered copy of the presidential jack.
The hall, which provides entrance to the Senate chamber retains, despite renovation in the early 1990s, its original Pniewski architectural features and now serves as a meetings place for senators and their staff before and between debates. In the centre of this same hall stands an iconic spiral staircase, which has become a symbol of the modern Polish Senate; indeed the central pylon of this staircase is decorated with a marble plaque depicting the Senate's traditional emblem, the stylised white eagle intertwined with an 'S'. To the right of the hall the Senate Marshal's office is to be found, along with those of his secretariat and chief of staff. A large reception room also adjoins the hall, and it is in this room that the large oil painting “the Polish Legation and Walezjusz” by Teodor Axentowicz hangs. To the left of the hall is a small foyer for the use of senators and in which hang portraits of all the past marshals of the senate.
The lower floors of the Senate house the administrative offices of the 'Senate Chancellery' whilst others are used by various legislative experts.
See also
- Sejm
- Politics of Poland
- Senate
- Electoral districts of Poland (1935–1939)