View source for Constitution of Poland

{{Short description|Supreme statute of Poland}}
{{Infobox constitution
| document_name        = Constitution of the Republic of Poland 
| image                = File:Egzemplarz Konstytucji podpisany przez Bronisława Komorowskiego i Jarosława Kaczyńskiego Sejm 2014 01.JPG
| caption              = A copy of the Constitution signed by candidates after the debate of 2 July, before the [[2010 Polish presidential election]], exhibited in the [[Sejm]]
| jurisdiction         = [[Poland]]
| date_created         = 
| date_presented       = 
| date_ratified        = 2 April 1997
| date_effective       = 17 October 1997
| system               = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[Constitutional state|constitutional]] [[representative democratic]] [[republic]]
| federalism           =Unitary 
| electoral_college    =No 
| branches             = 3
| head_of_state        = [[President of Poland|President]]
| chambers             = {{plainlist|
* [[Sejm]]
* [[Senate of Poland|Senate]]}}
| executive            = {{plainlist|
* [[Council of Ministers (Poland)|Council of Ministers]]
* President}}
| courts               = {{plainlist|
* [[Supreme Court of Poland|Supreme Court]]
* [[Supreme Administrative Court of Poland|Supreme Administrative Court]]
* [[Constitutional Tribunal (Poland)|Constitutional Tribunal]]
* [[State Tribunal (Poland)|State Tribunal]]}}
| number_entrenchments = 
| date_legislature     = 
| date_first_executive = 
| date_first_court     = 
| number_amendments    = 
| date_last_amended    = 21 October 2009
| citation             = 
| location_of_document = 
| commissioned         =
| writer               = Komisja Konstytucyjna Zgromadzenia Narodowego
| signers              = [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]]
| media_type           = 
| supersedes           = [[Small Constitution of 1992]]
| wikisource           = Constitution of the Republic of Poland
}}
{{Politics of Poland}}
{{Constitutions of Poland}}The '''Constitution of the Republic of Poland'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 2 kwietnia 1997 r. uchwalona przez Zgromadzenie Narodowe w dniu 2 kwietnia 1997 r., przyjęta przez Naród w referendum konstytucyjnym w dniu 25 maja 1997 r., podpisana przez Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w dniu 16 lipca 1997 r.|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19970780483|access-date=2020-11-04|website=isap.sejm.gov.pl}}</ref> ({{langx|pl|Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej}} or ''Konstytucja RP'' for short) is the [[supreme law]] of the [[Republic of Poland]], which is also commonly called the [[History of Poland (1989-present)|Third Polish Republic]] ({{langx|pl|III Rzeczpospolita}} or ''III RP'' for short) in contrast with the preceding systems.

The current constitution was ratified on 2 April 1997. The Constitution is also commonly referred to as the 1997 Constitution. It replaced the [[Small Constitution of 1992]], a revision of the [[Constitution of the Polish People's Republic|1952 Constitution of the Polish People's Republic]]. It was adopted by the [[National Assembly of Poland]] on 2 April 1997, approved by a national [[1997 Polish constitutional referendum|referendum]] on 25 May 1997, promulgated by the President of the Republic on 16 July 1997, and came into force on 17 October 1997.

[[Poland]] (and its predecessor states) have had numerous constitutions throughout history; the 1505 ''[[Nihil novi]]'' was one of the first European constitutional acts. Historically, the most significant is the [[Constitution of 3 May 1791]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of the 3 May 1791 Polish Constitution|url=https://polishmusic.usc.edu/research/publications/essays/zebrowski-marek-history-polish-constitution/|access-date=2020-11-04|website=Polish Music Center|language=en-US}}</ref>

==The Constitution==
===New character of the nation===
The five years after 1992 were spent in dialogue about the new character of Poland.  The nation had changed significantly since 1952 when the [[Constitution of the Polish People's Republic]] was instituted.  A new consensus was needed on how to acknowledge the awkward parts of [[Polish history]]; the transformation from a [[one-party]] system into a [[multi-party]] one and from [[socialism]] towards a [[free market]] [[economic system]]; and the rise of [[Pluralism (political philosophy)|pluralism]] alongside Poland's historically [[Roman Catholic]] [[culture]].

===Old and new policies===
The attitude toward the past was articulated in the preamble, in which the citizens of Poland established a Republic ''"Recalling the best traditions of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|First]] and the [[Second Polish Republic|Second Republic]], Obliged to bequeath to future generations all that is valuable from our over one thousand years' heritage ... Mindful of the bitter experiences of the times when fundamental freedoms and human rights were violated in our Homeland, ..."''.

Many articles were written explicitly to rectify the wrongs of previous governments. Article 21 protects the rights of ownership and inheritance, but the post-[[World War II]] [[PKWN]]-decreed and implemented [[land reform]] was not invalidated. Article 23 thus established the [[family farm]] as the basis of the [[agricultural economy]]. Article 74 requires public officials to pursue ecologically sound public policy. Articles 39 and 40 prohibit the practices of forced medical experimentation, forbidding [[torture]] and [[corporal punishment]], while Articles 50 and 59 acknowledge the inviolability of the home, the right to form [[trade union]]s, and to [[Strike action|strike]].

===Tradition versus pluralism===
Those involved in drafting the document were not interested in creating a ''de facto'' Catholic Poland. That said, nods were given in the direction of the [[Catholic Church in Poland|church]], to the effect of protecting common morality. For example, in Article 18, [[Marriage in Poland|marriage]] is granted the protection of the state, and in Article 53, [[freedom of religion]], [[religious education]], and religious upbringing are protected.

The preamble emphasizes freedom of religion or disbelief: ''"We, the Polish Nation – all citizens of the Republic, Both those who believe in God as the source of truth, justice, good and beauty, As well as those not sharing such faith but respecting those [[universal value]]s as arising from other sources..."''.  Article 25 provides further protection, that public officials ''"shall be impartial in matters of personal conviction, whether religious or philosophical, or in relation to outlooks on life, and shall ensure their [[freedom of expression]] within public life."''

Other aspects include the affirmation of the political equality of man and woman in Article 33, and the affirmation of freedom of [[Ethnic minorities in Poland|ethnic minorities]] to advance and develop their culture, in Article 35.

===Preamble===
<!--to be moved to wikisource-->
{{Blockquote|Having regard for the existence and future of our Homeland,<br>
Which recovered, in 1989, the possibility of a sovereign and democratic determination of its fate,<br>
We, the Polish Nation – all citizens of the [[Rzeczpospolita|Republic]],<br>
Both those who believe in God as the source of truth, justice, good and beauty,<br>
As well as those not sharing such faith but respecting those universal values as arising from other sources,<br>
Equal in rights and obligations towards the common good – Poland,<br>
Beholden to our ancestors for their labors, their struggle for independence achieved at great sacrifice, for our culture rooted in the Christian heritage of the Nation and in universal human values,<br>
Recalling the best traditions of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|First]] and the [[Second Polish Republic|Second Republic]],<br>
Obliged to bequeath to future generations all that is valuable from our over one thousand years' heritage,<br>
Bound in community with our [[Polish diaspora|compatriots]] dispersed throughout the world,<br>
Aware of the need for cooperation with all countries for the good of the Human Family,<br>
Mindful of the bitter experiences of the times when fundamental freedoms and human rights were violated in our Homeland,<br>
Desiring to guarantee the rights of the citizens for all time, and to ensure diligence and efficiency in the work of public bodies,<br>
Recognizing our responsibility before God or our own consciences,<br>
Hereby establish this Constitution of the Republic of Poland as the basic law for the State, based on respect for freedom and justice, cooperation between the public powers, social dialogue as well as on the principle of subsidiarity in the strengthening the powers of citizens and their communities.<br>
We call upon all those who will apply this Constitution for the good of the Third Republic to do so paying respect to the inherent dignity of the person, his or her right to freedom, the obligation of solidarity with others, and respect for these principles as the unshakeable foundation of the Republic of Poland.}}
{{clear}}
<gallery perrow="2" style="float: right;">
File:2008.06.22. Stefan Wilkanowicz Fot Mariusz Kubik 02.JPG|[[Stefan Wilkanowicz]]<br />developed the preamble<ref>{{Cite web|title=Wyborcza.pl|url=https://wyborcza.pl/1,76842,12287644,Lekcja_z_preambuly.html?disableRedirects=true|access-date=2020-11-04|website=wyborcza.pl}}</ref>
File:Tadeusz Mazowiecki - Europeana 1989 - TV Interview.jpg|[[Tadeusz Mazowiecki]]<br />presented the finally adopted preamble
</gallery>

==Historical constitutions==
===Kingdom of Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth===
{{main|Golden Freedom}}
The first major privilege was granted in [[Košice]] by [[Louis I of Hungary|Louis Andegavin]] on 17 September 1374. In order to guarantee the Polish throne for his daughter [[Jadwiga of Poland|Jadwiga]], he agreed to abolish all but one tax the ''szlachta'' was required to pay. The ''[[Koszyce Privilege]]'' also forbade the king to grant official posts and major Polish castles to foreign knights, and obliged him to pay indemnities to nobles injured or taken captive during a war outside Polish borders.

The privileges granted by [[Jogaila|Ladislaus II]] at Brześć Kujawski (25 April 1425), Jedlnia (4 March 1430) and [[Kraków]] (9 January 1433) introduced or confirmed the rule known as [[Neminem captivabimus|''Neminem captivabimus nisi iure victum'']]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Brzezinski|first=Mark F.|title=Constitutional Heritage and Renewal: The Case of Poland|journal=Virginia Law Review|date=1991|volume=77|issue=1|pages=49–112|jstor=1073115|doi=10.2307/1073115}}</ref> which prevented a noble from being arrested unless found guilty. On 2 May 1447, the same king issued the ''[[Wilno Privilege]]'' which gave the [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania|Lithuanian]] [[boyar]]s the same rights as those possessed by the Polish ''szlachta''.

In September and October 1454, [[Casimir IV of Poland|Casimir IV]] granted the ''[[Cerkwica and Nieszawa Privileges]]'' which forbade the king to set new taxes, laws or draft nobles for war unless he had the consent of local diets (''sejmiki''). These privileges were demanded by the ''szlachta'' as a compensation for their participation in the [[Thirteen Years' War (1454–66)|Thirteen Years' War]]. As a compensation for the unsuccessful incursion on [[Moldavia]] which had decimated the ''szlachta'', [[John I of Poland|John Albert]] granted the ''[[Piotrków Privilege]]'' on 26 April 1496 which prohibited [[serf]]s from leaving their owners' land, and banned city dwellers from buying land.

In the spring of 1505 king [[Alexander of Poland|Alexander]] signed a bill adopted by the [[Sejm|Diet]] of [[Radom]] known as ''[[Nihil novi]] nisi commune consensu'' ("Nothing new without a common agreement"). The ''Nihil novi'' act transferred legislative power from the king to the Diet (''[[Sejm]]''), or Polish parliament. This date marked the beginning of the First ''[[Rzeczpospolita]]'', the period of a ''szlachta''-run "republic".

Until the death of [[Sigismund Augustus]], the last king of the [[Jagiellonian]] dynasty, monarchs could only be elected from within the royal family. However, starting from 1573, practically any Polish noble or foreigner of royal blood could become a [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth|Polish–Lithuanian]] monarch. Every newly elected king was required sign two documents – the ''[[Pacta conventa]]'' ("agreed pacts") – a confirmation of the king's pre-election promises, and ''[[Henrican articles]]'' (''artykuły henrykowskie'', named after the first freely elected king, [[Henry III of France|Henry of Valois]]). The latter document served as a virtual Polish constitution and contained the basic laws of the Commonwealth:
*free election of kings;
*[[Religious freedom in Poland|religious tolerance]];
*the Diet to be gathered every two years;
*foreign policy controlled by the Diet;
*a royal advisory council chosen by the Diet;
*official posts restricted to Polish and Lithuanian nobles;
*taxes and monopolies set up by the Diet only;
*nobles' right to disobey the king should he break any of these laws.

;Sejm Constitution of 1590

In the 18th century, the introduction of [[Cardinal Laws]] in 1768 was an important step towards codifying the existing Polish law.

===May Constitution, 1791===
{{main|Constitution of 3 May 1791}}

[[File:Konstytucja 3 Maja.jpg|right|thumb|350px|''[[Constitution of 3 May 1791 (painting)|3 May 1791 Constitution]]'' (painting by [[Jan Matejko]], 1891). King Stanisław August (left, in regal [[Stoat|ermine]]-trimmed cloak), enters [[St. John's Cathedral, Warsaw|St. John's Cathedral]], where [[Sejm]] deputies will swear to uphold the new [[Constitution]]; in background, [[Warsaw's Royal Castle]], where the Constitution has just been adopted.]]
			
The [[Constitution of 3 May 1791|Polish Constitution of 3 May 1791]] ({{langx|pl|Konstytucja Trzeciego Maja}}) is called the first constitution in Europe by historian [[Norman Davies]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/europehistory00davi_0 |url-access=registration |first=Norman |last=Davies |title=Europe: A History |year=1996 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/europehistory00davi_0/page/699 699] |isbn=0-19-820171-0}}</ref> It was instituted by the [[Government Act]] (Polish: ''Ustawa rządowa'') adopted on that date by the [[Sejm]] ([[parliament]]) of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]]. It was designed to redress long-standing political defects of the [[federation|federative]] Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and its [[Golden Liberty]]. The Constitution introduced political equality between [[townspeople]] and [[nobility]] (''[[szlachta]]'') and placed the [[peasant]]s under the protection of the government,{{ref|Chlopi}} thus mitigating the worst abuses of [[serfdom]]. The Constitution abolished pernicious parliamentary institutions such as the ''[[liberum veto]]'', which at one time had placed the [[sejm]] at the mercy of any deputy who might choose, or be [[bribed]] by an interest or foreign power, to undo all the [[legislation]] that had been passed by that sejm. The May 3rd Constitution sought to supplant the existing anarchy fostered by some of the country's [[reactionary]] ''[[magnat (Poland)|magnat]]s'', with a more [[egalitarian]] and [[democracy|democratic]] [[constitutional monarchy]].	
	
The adoption of the May 3rd Constitution provoked the active hostility of the Polish Commonwealth's neighbors. In the [[War in Defense of the Constitution]] (1792), Poland was betrayed by its [[Prussia]]n ally [[Frederick William II of Prussia|Frederick William II]] and defeated by the [[Imperial Russia]] of [[Catherine the Great]], allied with the [[Targowica Confederation]], a cabal of Polish magnates who opposed reforms that might weaken their influence. Despite the defeat, and the subsequent [[Second Partition of Poland]], the May 3rd Constitution influenced later [[democratic movement]]s in the world. Ultimately, Prussia, Austria and Russia partitioned Poland in 1795.  It remained, after the demise of the Polish Kingdom in 1795, over the next 123 years of [[Partitions of Poland|Polish partitions]], a beacon in the struggle to restore Polish sovereignty.  In the words of two of its co-authors, [[Ignacy Potocki]] and [[Hugo Kołłątaj]], it was "the last will and testament of the expiring Fatherland."

===19th century===
<gallery perrow="2" style="float: right;">
File:Unknown - Portrait of Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski (1770–1861) - MNK XII-A-613 - National Museum Kraków.jpg|[[Adam Jerzy Czartoryski]]<br />Co-author<br />''[[Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland]]''
File:Napoleon cropFXD.jpg|[[Napoleon]]<br />Granted constitution to the Duchy of Warsaw
</gallery>
*[[Duchy of Warsaw]], 1806<ref>{{Cite web|date=2005-01-09|title=Poland.pl - print version|url=http://www.poland.pl/cms/print.htm?id=11572|access-date=2020-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050109002837/http://www.poland.pl/cms/print.htm?id=11572|archive-date=2005-01-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2004-12-16|title=Konstytucja Księstwa Warszawskiego z 22 VII 1807 r. – oprac. Bartłomiej Migda|url=http://www.law.uj.edu.pl/users/khpp/fontesu/1807.htm|access-date=2020-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041216033708/http://www.law.uj.edu.pl/users/khpp/fontesu/1807.htm|archive-date=2004-12-16}}</ref>
*[[Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland]], 1815<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-02-06|title=Государственный реестр уникальных документов: Сведения об уникальном документе|url=http://unikdoc.rusarchives.ru/GRSearch/Search/Details/74833797-e050-4df9-9476-747d0a16eb79?&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 |website=unikdoc.rusarchives.ru |access-date=2020-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206083501/http://unikdoc.rusarchives.ru/GRSearch/Search/Details/74833797-e050-4df9-9476-747d0a16eb79?&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1|archive-date=2017-02-06}}</ref>
*[[Free City of Kraków|Constitution of the Free City of Kraków]], 1815<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/165779617|title=Dzieje Krakowa / 3. Kraków w latach 1796-1918 / Janina Bieniarzówna ... – Wyd. 1. – 1979. – 435 S. : Ill., Kt.|date=1979|publisher=Wydawn. Literackie|author1=Bieniarzówna, Janina |isbn=83-08-00115-7|location=Kraków|oclc=165779617}}</ref>

===Second Polish Republic (1919–1939)===
The [[Second Polish Republic]] had three constitutions.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ajnenkiel, Andrzej.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/11625597|title=Polskie konstytucje|date=1982|publisher=Wiedza Powszechna|isbn=83-214-0256-9|edition=Wyd. 1|location=Warszawa|oclc=11625597}}</ref> They were, in historical order:
*[[Small Constitution of 1919|Small Constitution]], 1919<ref>{{Cite web|title=Uchwała Sejmu z dnia 20 lutego 1919 r. o powierzeniu Józefowi Piłsudskiemu dalszego sprawowania urzędu Naczelnika Państwa.|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19190190226|access-date=2020-11-04|website=isap.sejm.gov.pl}}</ref>
*[[March Constitution (Poland)|March Constitution]], 1921<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ustawa z dnia 17 marca 1921 r. – Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej.|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19210440267|access-date=2020-11-04|website=isap.sejm.gov.pl}}</ref>
*[[April Constitution]], 1935<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ustawa Konstytucyjna z dnia 23 kwietnia 1935 r.|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19350300227|access-date=2020-11-04|website=isap.sejm.gov.pl}}</ref>

===Polish People's Republic (1945–1989)===
The [[PKWN Manifesto|Manifesto]] of the [[Polish Committee of National Liberation]] condemned the April Constitution of 1935 as "unlawful and fascist" and stated that the March Constitution of 1921 would be the Polish constitution until a new one could be written. The new constitution was the [[Small Constitution of 1947]], later succeeded by the [[Constitution of the Polish People's Republic]] in 1952.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ustawa Konstytucyjna z dnia 19 lutego 1947 r. o ustroju i zakresie działania najwyższych organów Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej.|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19470180071|access-date=2020-11-04|website=isap.sejm.gov.pl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Constitution of the Polish People's Republic, 1952|url=http://libr.sejm.gov.pl/tek01/txt/kpol/e1952a-spis.html|access-date=2020-11-04|website=libr.sejm.gov.pl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Konstytucja Polskiej Rzeczypospolitej Ludowej uchwalona przez Sejm Ustawodawczy w dniu 22 lipca 1952 r.|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19520330232|access-date=2020-11-04|website=isap.sejm.gov.pl}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Obwieszczenie Przewodniczącego Rady Państwa z dnia 16 lutego 1976 r. w sprawie ogłoszenia jednolitego tekstu Konstytucji Polskiej Rzeczypospolitej Ludowej uchwalonej przez Sejm Ustawodawczy w dniu 22 lipca 1952 r.|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19760070036|access-date=2020-11-04|website=isap.sejm.gov.pl}}</ref>

===Third Polish Republic (1989–1997)===
Prior to the current 1997 Constitution, the country was governed by the [[Small Constitution of 1992]], which amended the main articles of the Constitution of the [[Polish People's Republic]] and formed the legal basis of the Polish State between 1992 and 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ustawa Konstytucyjna z dnia 17 października 1992 r. o wzajemnych stosunkach między władzą ustawodawczą i wykonawczą Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej oraz o samorządzie terytorialnym.|url=http://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU19920840426|access-date=2020-11-04|website=isap.sejm.gov.pl}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Law|Poland}}
*[[List of national constitutions]]
*[[Polish Constitutional Tribunal crisis (2015 – ongoing)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041210152639/http://www.law.uj.edu.pl/users/khpp/fontesu/zrod.htm Chair of History of Polish Law, Jagiellonian University (in Polish)]

==External links==
{{wikisource|Constitution of the Republic of Poland}}
* {{cite web |title=Legal acts regulating the functioning of the Sejm |url=https://www.sejm.gov.pl/Sejm10.nsf/page.xsp/akty_prawne |website=www.sejm.gov.pl}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071112071216/http://www.staff.amu.edu.pl/~wroblew/html/en_pk_pl.htm Polish Constitutional Law] ''Constitutions, bibliography, links''
*[http://www.poland.gov.pl/?document=384 Overview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416000209/http://www.poland.gov.pl/?document=384 |date=2009-04-16 }}

{{History of the Third Polish Republic}}
{{Poland topics}}
{{Constitution of Europe}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1997 documents]]
[[Category:1997 in law]]
[[Category:1997 in Poland]]
[[Category:History of Poland (1989–present)]]
[[Category:Constitutions of Poland]]
[[Category:1997 in politics]]
[[Category:April 1997 in Europe]]