Poland

J

Communications

Mass communications in Poland were nationalized in 1946 and, under the Communist regime, were subject to close government supervision. In 1989 the democratic government abolished censorship and ended subsidies to the Communist press. In 2004 Poland had 42 daily newspapers with a circulation of about 4 million: of these, Gazeta Wyborcza (Electoral News), published in Warsaw, is the most important. Most radio and television broadcasting originates in Warsaw, though the country has 16 regional radio and television centres. In 1997 Poland had about 20 million radios and about 16 million television sets. The telecommunications sector has expanded rapidly, and in 2005 there were 309 telephones in use per 1,000 people.

V

Government

Poland was formerly governed under a constitution adopted in 1952 and amended in 1989. In 1989 reforms abolished the Communist Party’s monopoly on power and introduced democratic rules and principles. A transitional “Little Constitution” was passed in 1992 that amended the Soviet-era document until a new constitution could be written. The current constitution dates from 1997 and provides for a democratic republican form of government. The head of state is a president, elected by popular vote every five years. A prime minister leads the government.

A

Executive and Legislature

Under the Communist regime, the two houses of the Polish parliament elected the president of the republic. Direct presidential elections, first held in late 1990, require a run-off when no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round of balloting. Under certain conditions the president may dismiss parliament and call for new elections. The prime minister is chosen by the president with the approval of the lower legislative house.

The national legislature of Poland is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, or Sejm, of 460 members elected to four-year terms, and an upper house, or Senat, of 100 members, also elected to four-year terms. In the general elections of June 1989, 65 per cent of the seats in the lower house were reserved for the Communist Party and its allies and 35 per cent for the opposition, led by the trade union Solidarity; no such restrictions applied to the parliamentary election held in October 1991. The 1993 and subsequent elections placed minimum poll requirements on parties seeking representation in the legislature. To gain seats, single parties need at least 5 per cent of the votes and coalitions need at least 8 per cent.

B

Political Parties

Major parties represented in the legislature following the 2007 general election include the Civic Platform (PO; Platforma Obywatelska) with 209 seats and the Law and Justice Party (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość) with 166 seats. Parties in the Sejm with smaller representation include the Polish People’s Party (PSL; Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe), Left and Democrats coalition (LiD; Lewica i Demokraci), and the German Minority (MN; Mniejszość Niemiecka).

C

Judiciary

The administration of justice is carried out by the Supreme Court, voivodeship (provincial) courts, district courts, and special courts. The Supreme Court is the highest tribunal and supervises all lower courts. The State Tribunal and Constitutional Tribunal guard the constitution against executive or legislative infringement.