Constitution of Poland
Constitution of Poland | ||
---|---|---|
Branches 3 | | |
Head of state | President | |
Chambers | ||
Executive |
| |
Judiciary | ||
Federalism | Unitary | |
Electoral college | No | |
Last amended | 21 October 2009 | |
Author(s) | Komisja Konstytucyjna Zgromadzenia Narodowego | |
Signatories | Aleksander Kwaśniewski | |
Supersedes | Small Constitution of 1992 | |
Full text | ||
Constitution of the Republic of Poland at Wikisource |
The Constitution of the Republic of Poland
The Constitution of Poland, which is in force, was ratified on 2 April 1997. The Constitution is also commonly referred to as the 1997 Constitution. It replaced the
Poland has had numerous previous constitutional acts. Historically, the most significant is the Constitution of 3 May 1791.[2]
The Constitution
New character of the nation
The five years after 1992 were spent in dialogue about the new character of Poland. The nation had changed significantly since 1952 when the
Old and new policies
The attitude toward the past was articulated in the preamble, in which the citizens of Poland established a Republic "Recalling the best traditions of the First and the Second Republic, Obliged to bequeath to future generations all that is valuable from our over one thousand years' heritage ... Mindful of the bitter experiences of the times when fundamental freedoms and human rights were violated in our Homeland, ...".
Many articles were written explicitly to rectify the wrongs of previous governments. Article 21 protects the rights of ownership and inheritance, but the post-World War II PKWN-decreed and implemented land reform was not invalidated. Article 23 thus established the family farm as the basis of the agricultural economy. Article 74 requires public officials to pursue ecologically sound public policy. Articles 39 and 40 prohibit the practices of forced medical experimentation, forbidding torture and corporal punishment, while Articles 50 and 59 acknowledge the inviolability of the home, the right to form trade unions, and to strike.
Tradition versus pluralism
Those involved in drafting the document were not interested in creating a de facto Catholic Poland. That said, nods were given in the direction of the church, to the effect of protecting common morality. For example, in Article 18, marriage is granted the protection of the state, and in Article 53, freedom of religion, religious education, and religious upbringing are protected.
The preamble emphasizes freedom of religion or disbelief: "We, the Polish Nation – all citizens of the Republic, Both those who believe in God as the source of truth, justice, good and beauty, As well as those not sharing such faith but respecting those universal values as arising from other sources...". Article 25 provides further protection, that public officials "shall be impartial in matters of personal conviction, whether religious or philosophical, or in relation to outlooks on life, and shall ensure their freedom of expression within public life."
Other aspects include the affirmation of the political equality of man and woman in Article 33, and the affirmation of freedom of ethnic minorities to advance and develop their culture, in Article 35.
Preamble
Having regard for the existence and future of our Homeland,
Which recovered, in 1989, the possibility of a sovereign and democratic determination of its fate,
We, the Polish Nation – all citizens of the Republic,
Both those who believe in God as the source of truth, justice, good and beauty,
As well as those not sharing such faith but respecting those universal values as arising from other sources,
Equal in rights and obligations towards the common good – Poland,
Beholden to our ancestors for their labors, their struggle for independence achieved at great sacrifice, for our culture rooted in the Christian heritage of the Nation and in universal human values,
Recalling the best traditions of the First and the Second Republic,
Obliged to bequeath to future generations all that is valuable from our over one thousand years' heritage,
Bound in community with our compatriots dispersed throughout the world,
Aware of the need for cooperation with all countries for the good of the Human Family,
Mindful of the bitter experiences of the times when fundamental freedoms and human rights were violated in our Homeland,
Desiring to guarantee the rights of the citizens for all time, and to ensure diligence and efficiency in the work of public bodies,
Recognizing our responsibility before God or our own consciences,
Hereby establish this Constitution of the Republic of Poland as the basic law for the State, based on respect for freedom and justice, cooperation between the public powers, social dialogue as well as on the principle of subsidiarity in the strengthening the powers of citizens and their communities.
We call upon all those who will apply this Constitution for the good of the Third Republic to do so paying respect to the inherent dignity of the person, his or her right to freedom, the obligation of solidarity with others, and respect for these principles as the unshakeable foundation of the Republic of Poland.
-
Tadeusz Mazowiecki
presented the finally adopted preamble
Historical constitutions
Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The first major privilege was granted in
The privileges granted by
In September and October 1454,
In the spring of 1505 king
Until the death of
- free election of kings;
- religious tolerance;
- the Diet to be gathered every two years;
- foreign policy controlled by the Diet;
- a royal advisory council chosen by the Diet;
- official posts restricted to Polish and Lithuanian nobles;
- taxes and monopolies set up by the Diet only;
- nobles' right to disobey the king should he break any of these laws.
- Sejm Constitution of 1590
In the 18th century, the introduction of Cardinal Laws in 1768 was an important step towards codifying the existing Polish law.
May Constitution, 1791
The
.The adoption of the May 3rd Constitution provoked the active hostility of the Polish Commonwealth's neighbors. In the
19th century
-
Napoleon
Granted constitution to the Duchy of Warsaw
- Duchy of Warsaw, 1806[5][6]
- Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland, 1815[7]
- Constitution of the Free City of Kraków, 1815[8]
Second Polish Republic (1919–1939)
The Second Polish Republic had three constitutions.[9] They were, in historical order:
- Small Constitution, 1919[10]
- March Constitution, 1921[11]
- April Constitution, 1935[12]
Polish People's Republic (1945–1989)
The Manifesto of the Polish Committee of National Liberation condemned the April Constitution of 1935 as "unlawful and fascist" and stated that the March Constitution of 1921 would be the Polish constitution until a new one could be written. The new constitution was the Small Constitution of 1947, later succeeded by the Constitution of the Polish People's Republic in 1952.[13][14][15][16]
Third Polish Republic (1989–1997)
Prior to the current 1997 Constitution, the country was governed by the Small Constitution of 1992, which amended the main articles of the Constitution of the Polish People's Republic and formed the legal basis of the Polish State between 1992 and 1997.[17]
See also
References
- ^ "Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 2 kwietnia 1997 r. uchwalona przez Zgromadzenie Narodowe w dniu 2 kwietnia 1997 r., przyjęta przez Naród w referendum konstytucyjnym w dniu 25 maja 1997 r., podpisana przez Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w dniu 16 lipca 1997 r." isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "History of the 3 May 1791 Polish Constitution". Polish Music Center. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Wyborcza.pl". wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ISBN 0-19-820171-0.
- ^ "Poland.pl - print version". 2005-01-09. Archived from the original on 2005-01-09. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Konstytucja Księstwa Warszawskiego z 22 VII 1807 r. – oprac. Bartłomiej Migda". 2004-12-16. Archived from the original on 2004-12-16. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Государственный реестр уникальных документов: Сведения об уникальном документе". 2017-02-06. Archived from the original on 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- )
- OCLC 11625597.
- ^ "Uchwała Sejmu z dnia 20 lutego 1919 r. o powierzeniu Józefowi Piłsudskiemu dalszego sprawowania urzędu Naczelnika Państwa". isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Ustawa z dnia 17 marca 1921 r. – Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej". isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Ustawa Konstytucyjna z dnia 23 kwietnia 1935 r." isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Ustawa Konstytucyjna z dnia 19 lutego 1947 r. o ustroju i zakresie działania najwyższych organów Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej". isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Constitution of the Polish People's Republic, 1952". libr.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Konstytucja Polskiej Rzeczypospolitej Ludowej uchwalona przez Sejm Ustawodawczy w dniu 22 lipca 1952 r." isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Obwieszczenie Przewodniczącego Rady Państwa z dnia 16 lutego 1976 r. w sprawie ogłoszenia jednolitego tekstu Konstytucji Polskiej Rzeczypospolitej Ludowej uchwalonej przez Sejm Ustawodawczy w dniu 22 lipca 1952 r." isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
- ^ "Ustawa Konstytucyjna z dnia 17 października 1992 r. o wzajemnych stosunkach między władzą ustawodawczą i wykonawczą Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej oraz o samorządzie terytorialnym". isap.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2020-11-04.
Further reading
External links
- English text of the Polish Constitution
- Polish text of the Polish Constitution
- Polish Constitutional Law Constitutions, bibliography, links
- Overview Archived 2009-04-16 at the Wayback Machine