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, the Sejm and the Senate. Members of the 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. Presidential elections occur every five years. When a majority of voters support the same candidate, that candidate is declared the winner, while when there is no majority, the top two candidates participate in a runoff election.

The political system is defined in the Polish Constitution, which also guarantees a wide range of individual freedoms. The judicial branch plays a minor role in politics, apart from the Constitutional Tribunal, which can annul laws that violate the freedoms guaranteed in the constitution.

Executive branch The prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers (the cabinet). The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term, while the prime minister and deputy prime ministers (if any) are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm.

The Council of Ministers is responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm. The president, on behalf of the prime minister, appoints and dismisses ministers, and the Sejm can vote out ministers or the whole cabinet via a motion of no confidence. A motion to dismiss the whole cabinet must name a replacement candidate for prime minister.

Ministerial posts, except for the Minister of Justice and the Minister of National Defense, are not named in statutory law – the composition of the cabinet and competences of ministers are decided by the prime minister. + Main office holders Office Name Party SincePresidentKarol NawrockiIndependent(Law And Justice)6 August 2025Prime Minister Donald TuskCivic Platform13 December 2023

Head of state The president is elected by terms; as head of state, supreme commander of the Armed Forces, and supreme representative of the Republic of Poland. The president has the right to veto legislation, although a veto may be overridden by the assembly with a three-fifths majority vote. The president, as representative of the state in foreign affairs, shall ratify and renounce international agreements, appoint and recall the plenipotentiary representatives of the Republic of Poland and shall cooperate with the prime minister and the appropriate minister in respect of foreign policy. As Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the president shall appoint the chief of the General Staff and commanders of branches of the Armed Forces.

The president may, regarding particular matters, convene the Cabinet Council, although it does not possess the competence of the Council of Ministers. Official acts of the president shall require, for their validity, the signature of the prime minister, nevertheless this does not apply to:

nominating and appointing the prime minister shortening of the term of office of the Sejm in the instances specified in the Constitution introducing legislation requesting the Sejm to appoint the president of the National Bank of Poland appointing judges proclaiming the holding of a nationwide referendum (a consent of the Senate is required) signing or refusing to sign a bill appointing the first president of the Supreme Court, president of the Constitutional Tribunal, members of the Council for Monetary Policy, appointing and dismissing members of the National Security Council exercising the power of pardon convening the Cabinet Council

Legislative branch

The Polish Parliament has two chambers. The lower chamber (Sejm) has 460 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies using the d'Hondt method similar to that used in many parliamentary political systems, with a 5% threshold (8% for coalitions, threshold waived for national minorities). The Senate (Senat) has 100 members elected for a four-year term under the single member, one-round first-past-the-post voting method. When sitting in joint session, members of the Sejm and Senate form the National Assembly, (Polish Zgromadzenie Narodowe).

The National Assembly is formed on three occasions: Taking the oath of office by a new president, bringing an indictment against the president of the republic to the Tribunal of State, and declaration of a President's permanent incapacity to exercise their duties due to the state of their health. Only the first kind has occurred to date. Since 1991 elections are supervised by the National Electoral Commission (Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza), whose administrative division is called the National Electoral Office (Krajowe Biuro Wyborcze).

Judicial branch

Justice

Together with the tribunals, courts form part of the judiciary in Poland. 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. Common courts rule on criminal, civil, labor, economic and family law. Until 2001, there were also misdemeanor colleges, but the Constitution abolished their functioning.

Military judiciary

Military courts are criminal courts, ruling primarily on crimes committed by soldiers on active military service. The structure of the military judiciary is made up of garrison courts and military district courts. The Criminal Chamber (until 2018, including the Military Chamber) of the Supreme Court acts as the second instance or court of cassation.

Administrative judiciary

Administrative judiciary already existed in the Second Polish Republic, but it was abolished after World War II. Its gradual restoration began in 1980 with the creation of the Supreme Administrative Court (Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny). The current Constitution introduced the principle of two-instance procedures, which resulted in the establishment of voivodeship administrative courts adjudicating in the first instance. Administrative courts control the legality of administrative decisions, both against the governmental and self-governmental authorities. 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 and has the right to apply to the Constitutional Tribunal in matters relating to the compliance of normative acts with the Constitution in the area relating to the judiciary. 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 Poland's legal system includes two major types of tribunals:

Constitutional Tribunals

Established in December 1985, the Constitutional Tribunal consists of 15 judges chosen individually by the Sejm for terms of 9 years. The Constitutional Tribunal (Polish: Trybunał Konstytucyjny [trɘˈbu.naw kɔn.stɘ.tuˈt͡sɘj.nɘ]) is the constitutional court of the Republic of Poland, a judicial body established to resolve disputes on the constitutionality of the activities of state institutions; its main task is to supervise the compliance of statutory law with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland.

State Tribunals

The State Tribunal (Polish: Trybunał Stanu [trɘˈbu.naw ˈsta.nu] ⓘ) of the Republic of Poland is a judicial body that rules on the constitutional liability of people holding the highest offices of state. It examines cases concerning the infringement of the Constitution and laws or crimes committed by the President, members of the government, the President of the Supreme Chamber of Control, the President of the National Bank of Poland, heads of central administrative offices and other senior state officials.

Elections

2023 parliamentary elections

2025 presidential election

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.

Policy

Politics of Poland

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