Poland

Politics

Main articles: Politics of Poland, Foreign relations of Poland, Military of Poland

Related Topics:
Politics of Poland - Foreign relations of Poland - Military of Poland

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Poland is a democratic republic. Its current constitution dates from 1997. The government structure centres on the Council of Ministers, led by a prime minister. The president appoints the cabinet according to the proposals of the prime minister, typically from the majority coalition in the bicameral legislature's lower house (the Sejm). The president, elected by popular vote every five years, serves as the head of state. The current president is Aleksander Kwa?niewski.

Related Topics:
Republic - Constitution - 1997 - Prime minister - Cabinet - Sejm - President - Head of state - Aleksander Kwa?niewski

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Polish voters elect a two house parliament (National Assembly, Polish Zgromadzenie Narodowe), consisting of a 460 member lower house Sejm and a 100 member Senate (Senat). The Sejm is elected under a proportional representation electoral system similar to that used in other parliamentary political systems while the Senate is elected under a comparatively rare first past the post bloc voting. With the exception of ethnic minority parties, only political parties receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enter Sejm.

Related Topics:
Parliament - Polish - Sejm - Senat - Proportional representation - Bloc voting - Political parties

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The judicial branch plays a minor role in decision-making. Its major institutions include the Supreme Court (S?d Najwy?szy) (judges appointed by the president of the republic on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period), and the Constitutional Tribunal (Trybuna? Konstytucyjny) (judges chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms). The Sejm (on approval of the Polish Senate) appoints the Ombudsman or the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection (Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich) for a five-year term. The Ombudsman has the duty of guarding the observance and implementation of the rights and liberties of the human being and of the citizen, the law and principles of community life and social justice.

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