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Poland Sejm
The lower house of the bicameral National Assembly, the
Sejm,
is the more powerful of the two chambers. The Sejm has the
constitutional responsibility of initiating and enacting
laws
that "set the basic direction of the state's activity" and
of
overseeing "other organs of power and state
administration." The
constitution specifies election of the 460 Sejm deputies
to a
term of four years. The 1991 election was conducted by a
system
that awarded seats in the Sejm in strict proportion to the
number
of votes each party or coalition garnered nationally (see
table 20, Appendix). This system was blamed for the extreme
fragmentation that plagued Polish politics in 1991-92. The
new
Sejm is required to convene within one month after
national
parliamentary elections.
Upon taking the oath of office, the Sejm deputies
immediately
elect a permanent marshal, who serves as Sejm speaker. The
marshal and three vice marshals constitute the Presidium
of the
Sejm, the chief duties of which are to oversee
accomplishment of
the Sejm agenda, to coordinate the activities of the
parliamentary commissions, and to represent the Sejm in
external
affairs. The marshal, vice marshals, and leaders of
parliamentary
caucuses (called "clubs") form an advisory organ to the
Sejm
Presidium known as the Council of Elders (Konwent
Seniorów),
which assists in scheduling.
The constitution empowers the president to declare a
threemonth state of emergency in the event of parliamentary
paralysis.
During this period, the president may perform the duties
of the
prime minister, but the Sejm cannot be dismissed, and
changes
cannot be made to the constitution or electoral law.
Among the most important agencies of the Sejm in
mid-1992
were twenty-one permanent committees, which enjoyed
considerable
autonomy in deliberating issues and in referring their
findings
to the entire Sejm for action. The committees set their
own
agendas in analyzing the performance of individual sectors
of the
economy or units of state administration. The Sejm could
also
create special committees to study specific issues.
Committee
appointments were highly partisan and reflected the
numerical
representation of the various parties and factions within
the
Sejm.
The National Assembly has exclusive responsibility to
pass a
central state budget and to finance the entire range of
state
activities, including foreign monetary payments, and to
approve a
domestic credit plan and balance sheet of incomes and
expenditures. The budget bill and financial plans passed
by the
Sejm are sent to the Senate, which may propose changes.
The
Little Constitution specifies that the Sejm can overturn
the
Senate's changes with an absolute majority vote.
Previously,
overriding Senate changes had required a two-thirds
majority,
with a quorum of at least 50 percent of the Sejm deputies.
The
president can dismiss parliament for failing to pass a
budget
within three months.
Data as of October 1992
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