Government of Poland

The Government of Poland is a  parliamentary representative democratic republic. The president is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government. It has been called semi-presidential.

It is a multi-party system, where the president and the Government, which consists of the Council of Ministers is led by the prime minister. Its members are mostly chosen from the majority party or coalition, in the Sejm. The government is formally announced by the president after an election, and must pass a motion of confidence in the Sejm within two weeks.

Legislative power is in the two chambers of parliament, Sejm and Senate. Members of Sejm are elected by proportional representation. 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 are at least every four years.

The president, as the head of state, is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces. They have the power to veto legislation passed by parliament, which may be overridden by a majority of three fifths. They can dissolve the parliament under certain conditions. Presidential elections are 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.

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