Republic of Poland

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Poland

Government Constitution Human rights Executive President List Lech Kaczyński Prime Minister List Donald Tusk Council of Ministers Ministries Legislative National Assembly Senate Sejm Judiciary Constitutional Tribunal Supreme Court Supreme Administrative Court State Tribunal Supreme Chamber of Control Public Prosecutor General Ombudsman Elections Presidential (after 1989) 1990 - 1995 - 2000 - 2005 Parliamentary (after 1989) 1989 - 1991 - 1993 - 1997 2001 - 2005 - 2007 European Parliament 2004 Local elections (after 1989) 1990 - 1994 - 1998 - 2002 2006 Referendums (after 1989) 1996 - 1997 - 2003 Divisions Voivodeships (Województwa) Regions (Powiaty) Communes (Gminy) Cities and towns Political parties Major parties PO (Civic Platform) PiS (Law and Justice) PSL (Polish People's Party) LiD (Left and Democrats) SRP (Self-Defence) Democratic Party PSL Piast SDPL (Social Democracy) Right of the Republic Politicians Foreign policy Foreign relations Ambassadors Politics of the European Union See also Economy History (political) Military

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The politics of Poland take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The politics of Poland take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Republic, whereby the Prime Minister The Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2 April 1997 is Poland 's current Constitution. Human rights in Poland have vastly improved after the Fall of communism in 1989 and replacement of the old repressive regime with the modern democratic government The politics of Poland take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Republic, whereby the Prime Minister The President of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, shorter form Prezydent RP) is the Polish Head of Head of State ( Naczelnik Państwa, 1918-1922 Marshal Józef Klemens Piłsudski ( 14 November 1918 - ˈlɛx alɛˈksandɛr kaˈtʂɨɲskʲi (born 18 June 1949 is the President of the Republic of Poland a politician of the conservative party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość The Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland represents the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet and directs their work supervises territorial self-government The Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland represents the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet and directs their work supervises territorial self-government Donald Franciszek Tusk (ˈdɔnalt franˈtɕiʃɛk ˈtusk born April 22 1957, Gdańsk) is a Center-right Polish politician co-founder The Council of Ministers (cabinet or Polish government consists of ministers heads of departments of ministerial rank and heads of central institutions Existing ministries Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ( Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi) Ministry of Culture and The National Assembly ( Zgromadzenie Narodowe) is the name of both chambers of the Polish Parliament, the Sejm and the The Senate ( Senat) is the upper house of the Polish Parliament. The Polish law, or Legal system in Poland. has been developing since the first centuries of Polish history, over 1000 years ago The Constitutional Tribunal (Trybunał Konstytucyjny of the Republic of Poland is a judicial body established to resolve disputes on the constitutionality of the activities The Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy of the Republic of Poland supervises the adjudication in General courts - these are district regional and appeal The Supreme Administrative Court of the Republic of Poland (Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny is the Court of last resort in administrative cases e The State Tribunal (Trybunał Stanu of the Republic of Poland is the judicial body which rules on the constitutional liability of people holding the highest offices of state The Supreme Chamber of Control (Najwyższa Izba Kontroli usually abbreviated NIK) is one of the oldest state institutions in Poland, created under the Second The Public Prosecutor General (Prokurator Generalny is the top prosecuting officer in Poland. Polish Ombudsman (Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich literally Ombudsman for Citizen Rights often abbreviated RPO) is an independent central office of the Republic Elections in Poland gives information on Election and election results in Poland. Presidential elections were held in Poland on Sunday November 25 (first round and Sunday December 9, 1990 (second round Presidential elections were held in Poland on Sunday November 5 (first round and Sunday November 19, 1995 (second round Presidential elections were held in Poland on October 9 and October 23, 2005. Contract Sejm (Sejm kontraktowy is a term commonly applied to the Polish Parliament elected in the Polish parliamentary elections of 1989. The Polish parliamentary election in 1991 to the Sejm and the Senate of Poland was held on October 27. Polish parliamentary election in 1993 to Sejm and Senate of Poland was held on the 19 September The Polish parliamentary election in 1997 to the Sejm and Senate of Poland was held on the 21 September Polish parliamentary election in 2001 to Sejm and Senate of Poland were held on the 23rd September. Parliamentary elections for both houses of the Parliament of Poland were held on September 25, 2005. Early parliamentary elections for both houses of parliament ( Sejm and Senat) were held in Poland on 21 October 2007 after the Elections to the European Parliament were held in Poland on June 13, 2004. Local elections in Poland 2002 SLD - UP - 6644 (1419% PSL Local elections were held in Poland in 1990 Elections were held in Poland on June 19 1994 to elect the members of 2468 Town councils Local elections were held in Poland in 1998 SLD - UP - 6644 (1419% PSL - 4986 (1065% Samoobrona - 2006 local elections were held in Poland on November 12 and November 26, 2006. There have been several Referendums in history of Poland. 1989-present There have been four referendums in the modern Poland Polish European Union membership referendum in 2003 also known in Poland as European referendum or accession referendum (referendum 2003 referendum europejskie The administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision Voivodeship The voivodeship or province (województwo has been a high-level Administrative subdivision of Poland since the 14th century A powiat (pronounced; Polish plural powiaty) is the second-level unit of Local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a County The gmina or Municipality (frequently translated commune) plural gminy, is the principal unit (lowest level of territorial division in Poland This page contains a list of cities and towns in Poland, preceded by a table of major Polish cities Political parties in Poland lists current political parties in Poland, as well as former parties dating back as far as 1918 Civic Platform ( Platforma Obywatelska, PO is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative Polish political party. Law and Justice ( Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS is a Polish political party. The Polish People's Party ( Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, PSL also translated as Polish Peasant(s Party) is a Political party in Poland. Left and Democrats (Lewica i Demokraci (LiD was a Centre-left political Coalition in Poland which was created on September 3 2006 before the Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland ( Samoobrona Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej, SRP is an Agrarian Political party and Trade union in The Democratic Party ( Partia Demokratyczna – demokracipl) is a social liberal party in Poland, publicly announced on February 28 and formally Polish People's Party "Piast" or Polish Peasant Party "Piast" (Polish Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe "Piast" abbreviated PSL Piast The Social Democracy of Poland (Socjaldemokracja Polska SDPL is a left wing social democratic Political party in Poland founded in April 2004 as a splinter Poland became a full member of NATO in March 1999 and of the European Union in May 2004 The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy Poland is considered to currently have one of the fastest growing economies in Central European nations with an annual growth rate of over 6 Highly developed agricultural people have lived in the area that is now Poland for the last 7500 years the Slavic people have settled in this territory for over 1500 years and the Wojsko Polskie ( WP, Polish Army) is the name applied to the military forces of Poland. Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its The Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland represents the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet and directs their work supervises territorial self-government This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State A multi-party system is a system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition Executive power is exercised by the government. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the Sejm and the Senate. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The Senate ( Senat) is the upper house of the Polish Parliament. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State

Executive power is exercised by the government, which consists of a council of ministers led by the Prime Minister. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland represents the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet and directs their work supervises territorial self-government Its members are typically chosen from a majority coalition in the lower house of parliament (the Sejm), although exceptions to this rule are not uncommon. The government is formally announced by the president, and must pass a motion of confidence in the Sejm within two weeks.

Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of parliament, Sejm and Senate. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The Senate ( Senat) is the upper house of the Polish Parliament. Members of parliament are elected by proportional representation, with the proviso that non-ethnic-minority parties must gain at least 5% of the national vote to enter the lower house. Currently four parties are represented. Parliamentary elections occur at least every four years.

The president, as the head of state, has the power to veto legislation passed by parliament, but otherwise has a mostly representative role. The President of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, shorter form Prezydent RP) is the Polish Head of Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state Presidential elections occur every 5 years.

The political system is defined in the Polish Constitution, which also guarantees a wide range of individual freedoms. The Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 2 April 1997 is Poland 's current Constitution.

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. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State The Constitutional Tribunal (Trybunał Konstytucyjny of the Republic of Poland is a judicial body established to resolve disputes on the constitutionality of the activities

Recent developments

In the autumn of 2005 Poles voted in both parliamentary and presidential elections. September's parliamentary poll was expected to produce a coalition of two centre-right parties, Law and Justice (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS) and Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska, PO). Parliamentary elections for both houses of the Parliament of Poland were held on September 25, 2005. Law and Justice ( Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS is a Polish political party. Civic Platform ( Platforma Obywatelska, PO is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative Polish political party. PiS eventually gained 27% of votes cast and became the largest party in the sejm ahead of PO on 24%. The out-going ruling party, the left-wing Democratic Left Alliance (Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej, SLD), achieved just 11%. Democratic Left Alliance (Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej SLD is a Polish social-democratic Political party.

Presidential elections in October followed a similar script. Presidential elections were held in Poland on October 9 and October 23, 2005. The early favourite, Donald Tusk, leader of the PO, saw his opinion poll lead slip away and was beaten 54% to 46% in the second round by the PiS candidate Lech Kaczyński (one of the twins, founders of the party). Donald Franciszek Tusk (ˈdɔnalt franˈtɕiʃɛk ˈtusk born April 22 1957, Gdańsk) is a Center-right Polish politician co-founder ˈlɛx alɛˈksandɛr kaˈtʂɨɲskʲi (born 18 June 1949 is the President of the Republic of Poland a politician of the conservative party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość

Both elections were blighted by low turn-outs -- only 51% in the second and deciding round of the presidential election, and just over 40% in the parliamentary election. The suggested cause of the low turnout is popular disillusionment with politicians.

Coalition talks ensued simultaneously with the presidential elections. However, the severity of the campaign attacks and the willingness of PiS to court the populist vote had soured the relationship between the two largest parties and made the creation of a stable coalition impossible. The ostensible stumbling blocks were the insistence of PiS that it control all aspects of law enforcement: the Ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs, and the special forces; as well as the forcing through of a PiS candidate for the head of the Sejm with help of several smaller populist parties. The PO decided to go into opposition.

PiS then formed a minority government with the previously little-known Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz as Prime Minister instead of party leader, Jarosław Kaczyński who remained influential in the background. (kaˈʑimʲεʐ martɕinˈkʲevʲitʂ (born December 20, 1959 in Gorzów Wielkopolski) is a Polish politician who served as Prime Minister jaˈrɔswaf kaˈtʂɨɲski (born June 18, 1949) is a Polish politician who was Prime Minister Poland --> from July 2006 to November 2007 This government relied on the tacit and rather stable support of smaller populist and agrarian parties (PSL, Samoobrona, LPR) to govern. The Polish People's Party ( Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, PSL also translated as Polish Peasant(s Party) is a Political party in Poland. Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland ( Samoobrona Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej, SRP is an Agrarian Political party and Trade union in The League of Polish Families ( Liga Polskich Rodzin, LPR is a right-wing political party in Poland.

The new government enjoyed quite strong public support (as is, in fact, generally common in the first few months after an election), while the popularity of the populist parties giving it support has significantly waned. With this background, a parliamentary crisis appeared to loom in January 2006, with these small populist parties fearing that PiS was about to force new elections (on which they would lose out) by using the pretext of failing to pass the budget within the constitutional timeframe. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. However, this crisis appears to have abated.

In July 2006, following a rift with his party leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, Marcinkiewicz tendered his resignation as Prime Minister and was replaced by Kaczyński, who formed a new government. July 2006 was a month with thirty-one days The following events also occurred during the month jaˈrɔswaf kaˈtʂɨɲski (born June 18, 1949) is a Polish politician who was Prime Minister Poland --> from July 2006 to November 2007 This government lasted until October 2007, when Donald Tusk's PO gained the lead again, and Kaczýnski announced to go into opposition.

Executive branch

The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term, the prime minister and deputy prime ministers are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm. The President of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, shorter form Prezydent RP) is the Polish Head of ˈlɛx alɛˈksandɛr kaˈtʂɨɲskʲi (born 18 June 1949 is the President of the Republic of Poland a politician of the conservative party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość Law and Justice ( Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS is a Polish political party. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland represents the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet and directs their work supervises territorial self-government Donald Franciszek Tusk (ˈdɔnalt franˈtɕiʃɛk ˈtusk born April 22 1957, Gdańsk) is a Center-right Polish politician co-founder Civic Platform ( Platforma Obywatelska, PO is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative Polish political party. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Council of Ministers is responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers (cabinet or Polish government consists of ministers heads of departments of ministerial rank and heads of central institutions

Legislative branch

The Polish Parliament has two chambers. In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral The lower chamber (Sejm) has 460 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies using the d'Hondt method similar to that used in many parliamentary political systems, with a 5 % threshold (8% for coalitions, threshold waived for national minorities). A lower house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Upper house. Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation or PR is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures goals or loyalty The D'Hondt method (mathematically but not operationally equivalent to Jefferson's method, and Bader-Ofer method) is a Highest averages method for The Senate (Senat) has 100 members elected for a four year term in 40 multi-seat constituencies under a rare plurality bloc voting method where several candidates with the highest support are elected from each electorate. The Senate ( Senat) is the upper house of the Polish Parliament. A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures goals or loyalty When sitting in joint session, members of the Sejm and Senate form the National Assembly, (Polish Zgromadzenie Narodowe). Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. The National Assembly is formed on three occasions: Taking the oath of office by a new president, bringing an indictment against the President of the Republic to the Tribunal of State, and declaration of a President's permanent incapacity to exercise their duties due to the state of their health. Only the first kind has occurred to date. Since 1991 elections are supervised by the National Electoral Commission (Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza), whose administrative division is called the National Electoral Office (Krajowe Biuro Wyborcze).

Developments since 2000

In the presidential election of 2000, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, the incumbent former leader of the post-communist SLD, was re-elected in the first round of voting, with 53. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Aleksander Kwaśniewski ( born November 15 1954 is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005 Democratic Left Alliance (Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej SLD is a Polish social-democratic Political party. 9% of the popular vote. Second place, with only 17. 3%, went to Andrzej Olechowski. Andrzej Olechowski (ˈandʒɛj ɔlɛˈxɔfskʲi b September 9, 1947 in Kraków, Poland) is a Polish politician It is thought that the opposition campaign was hindered by their inability to put forward a charismatic (or even a single major) candidate, as well as falling support for the centre-right AWS government. Solidarity Electoral Action ( Akcja Wyborcza Solidarność, AWS is a Political party coalition in Poland. This was related to internal friction in the ruling parliamentary coalition.

The (then) fresh Constitution and the reformed administrative division (as of 1999) required a revision of the electoral system, which was passed in April 2001. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The most important changes were: 1) the final liquidation of the party list (previously, some of the members of parliament were elected from a party list, based on nationwide voter support, rather than from local constituencies), and 2) modification of the method of allocating seats to the Sainte-Laguë method, which gave less premium to large parties. The Sainte-Laguë method of the highest average (equivalent to Webster's method or divisor method with standard rounding is one way of allocating seats proportionally for Incidentally, this change was soon reverted back to the d'Hondt method in 2002. The D'Hondt method (mathematically but not operationally equivalent to Jefferson's method, and Bader-Ofer method) is a Highest averages method for See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

The September 2001 parliamentary elections in 2001 saw the SLD (successor to the communist party twice removed) triumph on the back of voter dissolusionment with the AWS government and internal bickering within that bloc. Polish parliamentary election in 2001 to Sejm and Senate of Poland were held on the 23rd September. So much so that this former ruling party did not enter parliament due to falling below the 8% threshold for coalitions. (Symptomatically, they had failed to form a formal political party, which has only a 5% threshold, and formally remained a "coalition" of parties).

The SLD went on to form a coalition with the agrarian PSL and leftist UP, with Leszek Miller as Prime Minister. The Polish People's Party ( Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, PSL also translated as Polish Peasant(s Party) is a Political party in Poland. Labour Union (Unia Pracy (UP is a Polish left wing Political party. Leszek Cezary Miller (ˈlεʃεk tsεˈzarɨ ˈmʲilεr (born July 3, 1946 in Żyrardów) is a Polish left-wing politician a many-year leader of the

A leading issue in the subsequent years was negotiations with the European Union regarding accession and internal preparation for this. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Poland joined the EU in May 2004. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Both President Kwaśniewski and the government were vocal in their support for this cause. The only party decidedly opposed to EU entry was the populist right-wing League of Polish Families (LPR). The League of Polish Families ( Liga Polskich Rodzin, LPR is a right-wing political party in Poland.

Despite broad popular support for joining the EU, which was considered an overriding issue, the government rapidly lost popularity due to incompetence on various issues (e. g. building of motorways, and a botched reform of the health system), a general economic slump, and numerous corruption scandals. The most famous of these were the Rywin affair (an alleged attempt to interfere with the legislative process, so named after the main suspect Lew Rywin) -- this case was investigated by a special parliamentary committee, whose proceedings were televised and widely followed), and the Starachowice affair (government ministers informed friends with links to organised crime about an impending raid). The Rywin affair (in Polish afera Rywina, also labeled Rywingate in allusion to Watergate) is a corruption scandal in Poland, which Lew Rywin, (born November 10, 1945 in a Siberian village is a Polish film producer associated with Heritage Films (est

In March some prominent SLD politicians and MPs (including the then Speaker of the Sejm: Marek Borowski) formed a split, creating the new SDPL party. Marek Stefan Borowski (ˈmarɛk ˈstɛfan bɔˈrɔfskʲi b January 4, 1946 in Warsaw, Poland) is a Polish left-wing politician The Social Democracy of Poland (Socjaldemokracja Polska SDPL is a left wing social democratic Political party in Poland founded in April 2004 as a splinter The cabinet led by Leszek Miller resigned on May 2, 2004, just after Poland's admission to the European Union. Leszek Cezary Miller (ˈlεʃεk tsεˈzarɨ ˈmʲilεr (born July 3, 1946 in Żyrardów) is a Polish left-wing politician a many-year leader of the Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

A new cabinet was formed, with Marek Belka as prime minister. Marek Belka (pronounce ['marεk 'bεlka]) (b January 9, 1952 in Łódź) is a Polish professor After two initial unsuccessful attempts, it eventually won parliamentary support (24 June) and governed until the parliamentary elections in late 2005. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Parliamentary elections for both houses of the Parliament of Poland were held on September 25, 2005. Several of the new ministers were seen as non-partisan experts, and the government was considered a marked improvement upon the previous cabinet. This did not carry over into any rise in voter support for the SLD, however, even despite an economic upturn through 2005. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Part of the reason being that this government was considered to be largely apart from the party backbone, and only held in office by the fear of early elections by the majority of the MPs.

A fear not unfounded, as the SLD saw its support drop by three-fourths to only 11% in the subsequent elections.

Political parties and elections

Main article: Polish parliamentary election, 2007

Main article: Polish presidential election, 2005

Some contemporary Polish politicians in alphabetical order: Leszek Balcerowicz, Marek Belka, Marek Borowski, Bogdan Borusewicz, Jerzy Buzek, Ludwik Dorn, Bronisław Geremek, Roman Giertych, Zyta Gilowska, Danuta Hübner, Marek Jurek, Jarosław Kaczyński, Lech Kaczyński, Jarosław Kalinowski, Bronisław Komorowski, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Andrzej Lepper, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, Stefan Meller, Wojciech Olejniczak, Zbigniew Religa, Jan Rokita, Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, Donald Tusk, Zbigniew Wassermann, Zbigniew Ziobro. Leszek Balcerowicz (pronounced ['lεʃεk balʦε'rɔviʧ]) (born January 19 1947 is a Polish Economist and the former chairman of Marek Belka (pronounce ['marεk 'bεlka]) (b January 9, 1952 in Łódź) is a Polish professor Marek Stefan Borowski (ˈmarɛk ˈstɛfan bɔˈrɔfskʲi b January 4, 1946 in Warsaw, Poland) is a Polish left-wing politician } Bogdan Michał Borusewicz, (ˈbɔgdan ˈmʲixaw bɔruˈsɛvʲitʃ born January 11, 1949 in Lidzbark Warmiński, Poland, where his parents moved Professor Jerzy Karol Buzek (ˈjεʐɨ ˈkarɔl ˈbuzεk born 3 July 1940 in Smilowitz, Germany (now in the Czech Republic) is a Ludwik Dorn (ˈludvʲik ˈdɔrn born June 5 1954 in Warsaw) - Polish politician of Jewish origin former Deputy Prime Minister Professor Bronisław Geremek (brɔˈɲiswaf gɛˈrɛmɛk born Benjamin Lewertow on March 6, 1932 in Warsaw, died in a car crash on July Roman Jacek Giertych, (ˈrɔman ˈgʲɛrtɨx born 27 February 1971 in Śrem, Poland) is a Polish politician Deputy Prime Minister and Zyta Gilowska (born July 7 1949 in Nowe Miasto Lubawskie) is a Polish economist and politician Danuta Hübner (born April 8 1948 in Nisko, Poland is a Polish economist academic and policy maker currently serving as European Commissioner Marek Jurek (ˈmarɛk ˈjurɛk June 28, 1960 in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland) is a Polish right-wing politician since 20 April jaˈrɔswaf kaˈtʂɨɲski (born June 18, 1949) is a Polish politician who was Prime Minister Poland --> from July 2006 to November 2007 ˈlɛx alɛˈksandɛr kaˈtʂɨɲskʲi (born 18 June 1949 is the President of the Republic of Poland a politician of the conservative party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość Jarosław Kalinowski (jaˈrɔswaf kalʲiˈnɔfskʲi born April 12, 1962 in Wyszków) is a Polish politician from the agrarian Polish People's Bronisław Komorowski (brɔˈɲiswaf kɔmɔˈrɔfskʲi (born April 4, 1952 in Oborniki Śląskie) is a Polish Politician and Aleksander Kwaśniewski ( born November 15 1954 is a Polish politician who served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005 Andrzej Zbigniew Lepper (ˈandʒɛj ˈzbʲigɲɛf ˈlɛpɛr born 13 June 1954 is a Polish politician the leader of Samoobrona RP ( Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland (kaˈʑimʲεʐ martɕinˈkʲevʲitʂ (born December 20, 1959 in Gorzów Wielkopolski) is a Polish politician who served as Prime Minister Stefan Meller (born July 4, 1942, in Lyon, France, died February 4, 2008, in Warsaw, Poland) Zbigniew Eugeniusz Religa (ˈzbʲigɲɛf rɛˈlʲiga born December 16 1938 in Miedniewice Poland) is a prominent Cardiac surgeon and Politician. Jan Rokita (ˈjan rɔˈkʲita born June 18 1959 in Kraków) is a Polish conservative politician a member of the Sejm, the lower chamber Jacek Emil Saryusz-Wolski (born September 19, 1948 in Łódź) is a Polish diplomat politician and a MEP: member of the European Donald Franciszek Tusk (ˈdɔnalt franˈtɕiʃɛk ˈtusk born April 22 1957, Gdańsk) is a Center-right Polish politician co-founder Zbigniew Wasserman (ˈzbʲigɲɛf vaˈsɛrman born 17 September 1949, Kraków) is a Polish politician Zbigniew Robert Ziobro (ˈzbʲigɲɛf ˈʑɔbrɔ born August 18, 1970 in Kraków) is a Polish politician since October 2005 until

See Category:Polish politicians

Main article: List of politicians in Poland

National security

Poland's top national security goal is to further integrate with NATO and other west European defense, economic, and political institutions via a modernization and reorganization of its military. THIS ARTICLE IS OUT OF DATE This is the list of the most popular politicians in Poland ranked by the level of the trust and distrust among the voters National security is the entire scope of measures undertaken by the Governments of Nation-states in providing assurance of national Sovereignty The North Atlantic Treaty Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' Polish military doctrine reflects the same defense nature as its NATO partners.

Poland maintains a sizable armed force recently counted at 175,343 troops divided among an army of 96,733, an air and defense force of 39,649, and a navy of 15,980. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland The Ministry of Defense has announced that the armed forces of Poland will number 150,000 by 2006. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Poland relies on military conscription for the majority of its personnel strength. Conscription (also known as the draft, the call-up or national service) is a general term for involuntary labor demanded by some established authority All males (with some exceptions) are subject to a 9-month term of military service.

The Polish military continues to restructure and to modernize its equipment. The Polish Defense Ministry General Staff and the Land Forces staff have recently reorganized the latter into a NATO-compatible J/G-1 through J/G-6 structure. Budget constraints hamper such priority defense acquisitions as a multi-role fighter, improved communications systems, and an attack helicopter.

Poland continues to be a regional leader in support and participation in the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and has actively engaged most of its neighbors and other regional actors to build stable foundations for future European security arrangements. Poland continues its long record of strong support for UN Peacekeeping Operations by maintaining a unit in Southern Lebanon, a battalion in NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR), and by providing and actually deploying the KFOR strategic reserve to Kosovo. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Kosovo Force ( KFOR) is a NATO -led international force responsible for establishing a safe and secure environment in Kosovo, the self-proclaimed independent Poland is a strong ally of the US in Europe and leads the Multinational Division Central South in Iraq. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics.

Biuro Ochrony Rządu

The Biuro Ochrony Rządu (BOR), or Government Protection Bureau, is Poland's equivalent of the Secret Service in the United States- providing antiterrorism and VIP security detail services for the government. Biuro Ochrony Rządu (Government Protection Bureau is Poland 's equivalent of the United States Secret Service, providing antiterrorism and VIP security ^[1]

Administrative divisions

Poland is divided in 16 provinces or Voivodeships (województwa, singular - województwo); Lower Silesia, Kuyavia-Pomerania, Łódź, Lubelskie, Lubusz, Lesser Poland, Masovia, Opole, Subcarpathia, Podlachia, Pomerania, Silesia, Świętokrzyskie, Warmia-Masuria, Greater Poland, and West Pomerania. Voivodeship The voivodeship or province (województwo has been a high-level Administrative subdivision of Poland since the 14th century This article concerns both historical and contemporary voivodeships in various countries Lower Silesian Voivodeship (also known as Lower Silesia Province or by its Polish name of województwo dolnośląskie {{IPA-pl|d|o|l|n|o|'|ś|l|ą|s|k|j|e}} Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known as Kuyavia-Pomerania Province or by its Polish name of województwo kujawsko-pomorskie or simply Kujawsko-Pomorskie Łódź Voivodeship (also known as Łódź Province or by its Polish name of województwo łódzkie or simply Łódzkie) is a province ( voivodeship Lublin Voivodeship (also known as Lublin Province or województwo lubelskie or simply Lubelskie) is a voivodeship, or Province, in eastern Poland Lubusz Voivodeship (also known as Lubusz Province or by its Polish name of województwo lubuskie or simply Lubuskie) is a voivodeship (province Lesser Poland Voivodeship (also known as Małopolska Province or by its Polish name województwo małopolskie or simply Małopolskie) is a Voivodeship Masovian Voivodeship (also known as Masovia Province or by its Polish name of województwo mazowieckie or simply Mazowieckie) is the largest and most Opole Voivodeship (also known as Opole Province or by its Polish name of województwo opolskie or simply Opolskie; Woiwodschaft Oppeln/Oppelner Schlesien Subcarpathian Voivodeship (also known as Podkarpacie Province or by its Polish name of województwo podkarpackie or simply Podkarpackie) is a Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known as Pomerania Province or by its Polish name of województwo pomorskie {{IPA-pl|p|o|'|m|o|r|s|k|j|e}} or simply Pomorskie Silesian Voivodeship (also known as Silesia Province or by its Polish name of województwo śląskie or simply Śląskie) is a Voivodeship Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (województwo świętokrzyskie or simply Świętokrzyskie) is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces into which Poland Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (also known as Warmia-Masuria Province or by its Polish name województwo warmińsko-mazurskie or simply Warmińsko-Mazurskie Greater Poland Voivodeship (also known as Wielkopolska Province or by its Polish name of województwo wielkopolskie or simply Wielkopolskie) is a West Pomeranian Voivodeship (also known by its Polish name of województwo zachodniopomorskie or simply Zachodniopomorskie) is a voivodeship

References

External links

• Poland Now Led by Twin Brothers
• Erik Herron's Guide to Politics of East Central Europe and Eurasia
• PGB surveys