Legal Eye: Much ado about nothing

Once again, the Polish Constitution came through with the answer:  the President is expected to wear several hats. And adding it all up, the President can wield a significant amount of influence. The President serves as the highest representative of Poland, guarantees the continuity of state authority, acts as the implementation authority in the law-making process, and protects and defends the Constitution and sovereignty and safety of Poland. Whew, that sounds like a long day's work. Beyond the exalted titles, though, the President is entrusted with many specific tasks to perform.  

Representing Poland

The most glamorous of all the duties, the President is Poland's ultimate representative.  When heads of state come a-calling, it falls on the President to roll out the red carpet.  The President also appoints ambassadors and diplomats representing Poland in other countries or international organizations.  He also receives representatives of foreign nations and international organizations. Aside from the diplomacy, the President gets to sign and ratify international treaties. And for all you foreign citizens out there, the President is the one who grants (and revokes) Polish citizenship.   

Commander-in-chief

Although required to wine and dine in the name of good relations, the President must also be prepared for the worst. The President serves as the Commander-in-chief of the Polish armed forces. As part of this, he gets to appoint commanders of the various branches of the armed forces and the chief of the General Staff. The President may declare a state of emergency or martial law. However, the Sejm is charged with declaring war or making peace. The President may only declare war if, for some reason, the Sejm is unable to assemble.

Decisions to make ...

The only direct legislative power that the President holds is the right to veto a bill or sign it into law. Come to think of it, a few well-directed vetoes on some of the legislation passed by the out-going parliament may have saved the new parliament and taxpayers a few headaches. In keeping with the dualistic nature of the President's power, he grants pardons, but also issues honors, medals and orders. 

... and decision makers to appoint

The President appoints several key policy-makers. In this role, the President can play an active role in shaping the future of Poland. Among others, the President appoints the Chair of the Council of Ministers, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Tribunal and members of the Broadcast Council. While the Sejm appoints the Chair of the National Bank of Poland, the President chooses the candidate.

Judith Gliniecki is the managing partner of Rymar and Partners