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ChapterI◆THECONSTITUTIONALFOUNDATIONSOFTHEREPUBLICOFPOLAND’S…
provisionontheSejmasthehighestorganofstatepower.OnlytheSmall
Constitutionof1992introducedthetripartitedivisionofpowersprincipleand
removedseveralsystemicinconsistencies.Atthesametime,itleftbehind
manyelementsofthepresidency(aboveall,theelectionofthePresidentin
generalelections)andintroducedsolutionstypicalofthechancellor’ssystem
(aconstructivevoteofnoconfidence).InworkonthenewConstitution,the
powersofthePresidentweresignificantlyweakened.Thus,thesystemof
government,sometimesreferredtoasamixedsysteminthecontextofthe
SmallConstitution,hasevolvedintowhatisnowreferredtoasarationalised
parliamentarysystem25.
Inadditiontothetraditionalprinciplesoftheparliamentarysystem
(dualisticexecutive,dependenceofthegovernment’sexistenceonthe
parliamentarymajoritysupportingit,thepossibilityoftheheadofstate
dissolvingtheparliamentintheeventofacabinetcrisis),theRepublicof
Poland’spoliticalsystemischaracterisedbymechanismsmodifyingthis
systemandremovingitsmostseriousflaw,whichisthefrequentvolatilityof
governmentoffices.Therationalisationoftheparliamentarysysteminthe
1997Constitutionwasachievedprimarilythroughaconstructivevoteofno
confidence(Art.158).Itsessenceisthepossibilityofoverthrowingthe
governmentbytheparliament(theSejm)byavoteofnoconfidenceonlyifit
canelectanewgovernment.Itisnotenoughforanegativemajorityopposing
thegovernmenttoformintheSejm.Itmustbeapositivemajorityreadyto
supportthenewcabinet26.Withtheintroductionofthisinstitution,the
possibilityofdissolvingtheparliament(shorteningitstermofoffice)
disappearedduetothepassingofavoteofnoconfidenceinthegovernment.
Therefore,thePresidentmayshortenthetermofofficeoftheSejmonlyintwo
circumstancesstrictlydefinedintheConstitution(Art.155para.2andArt.225).
25M.Grzybowski,TheSystemofGovernmentintheConstitutionoftheRepublicofPolandof2nd
April1997,[in:]ThePrinciplesofBasicInstitutionsoftheSystemofGovernmentinPoland,eds.
P.Sarnecki,A.Szmyt,Z.Witkowski,TheSejmPublishingOffice,Warsaw1999,pp.135-165;
A.VanderMeer,Krok-Paszkowska,Poland,[in:]Semi-PresidentialisminEurope,ed.R.Elgie,Oxford
UniversityPress,Oxford1999,p.170etseq.;A.Antoszewski,Pomiędzysemiprezydencjalizmem
iparlamentaryzmem.Ewolucjapolskiegosystemupolitycznegopo1989r.,[in:]Państwo-
demokracja-samorząd,KsięgajubileuszowanasześćdziesięciopięciolecieProfesoraEugeniusza
Zielińskiego,ed.T.Mołdawa,DomWydawniczyuElipsa”,Warsaw1999,p.23etseq.
26K.Ziemer,DaspolitischeSystem…,op.cit.,pp.98-101.
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