What do we need the President for?
The President is the head of the Polish state.
The competencies and responsibilities of the President of the Republic of Poland.
The Presidents of the Second and the Third Republic of Poland.
You will be able to explain the President’s competences in the law‑making process: the right to introduce legislation, the right to veto bills, the right to refer bills to the Constitutional Tribunal.
You will understand the role of the President in the law‑making process.
Is the President with limited competence necessary at all? Can he really, like the Constitution states:
be the supreme representative of the Republic of Poland and the guarantor of the continuity of State authority,
ensure observanceobservance of the Constitution,
safeguard the sovereigntysovereignty and security of the State as well as the inviolabilityinviolability and integrity of its territory (the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, art. 126)?
Or is he just there to smile for the camera at official international meetings? And occasionally veto a bill to make life harder for the government?
One of the President’s responsibilities is to assureto assure the quality of the law. If the President does not approve of the piece of legislation, he may veto the bill, and send it back to the Sejm for reconsiderationreconsideration. The Sejm is can to repass the bill, but only by a three‑fifths majority vote in the presence of at least half of the statutorystatutory number of deputies, according to the Constitution. He may also refer the bill to the Constitutional Tribunal. The Tribunal judges upon the bill’s conformityconformity to the Constitution. Moreover, the President has the right to introduce legislation, which means he may prepare and suggest bills himself. The right to introduce legislation is a very important function in the law‑making process.
To better remember all the competences, watch a movie “The President in the law‑making process”. Then answer the question in exercise.
Film dostępny na portalu epodreczniki.pl
Film infograficzny przedstawiający postać prezydenta w procesie stanowienia prawa. Jedną z podstawowych funkcji prezydenta jest przestrzeganie prawa . Prezydent ma prawo weta i może ustaw zaproponowanych przez Sejm. W takich okolicznościach sejm może jeszcze raz przegłosować ustawę ale tylko w takim przypadku kiedy 3/5 posłów będzie ją popierało, a w głosowaniu musi brać udział połowa posłów. Prezydent w przypadku wątpliwości może wysłać ustawę do trybunału konstytucyjnego. I wówczas trybunał sprawdza czy ustawa jest zgodna z konstytucją. Ponadto prezydent może sam proponować ustawy.
What is the majority necessary to override a presidential veto by the Sejm?
- ⅗ in the presence of at least half of the statutory number of deputies
- ½ of the deputies present
- ¾ in the presence of at least half of the statutory number of deputies
- ⅗ of all the deputies
How long is the Polish President’s term in office?
- 4 years
- 5 years
- 6 years
How old does the candidate for the President of Poland have to be?
- 18 years old
- 21 years old
- 35 years old
Listen to the abstract recording to review the material and new vocabulary. Then do the vocabulary exercise. Match the pairs: English and Polish words.
suwerenność, ponowne rozpatrzenie, przestrzeganie, ustawowa, zapewnić, nienaruszalność, zgodność
| observance | |
| sovereignty | |
| inviolability | |
| to assure | |
| reconsideration | |
| statutory | |
| conformity |
Keywords
the law‑making process, introduce legislation, veto, bill, the Constitutional Tribunal
Glossary
przestrzeganie
suwerenność
nienaruszalność
zapewnić
ponowne rozpatrzenie
ustawowa
zgodność