Legal system: mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI (since 23 December
1995) was elected for a five-year term by popular vote; election
first round held 5 November 1995, second round held 19 November 1995
(next to be held NA November 2000); results - second round
Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI 51.7%, Lech WALESA 48.3%
head of government: Prime Minister Wlodimierz CIMOSZEWICZ (since 7
February 1996), Deputy Prime Ministers Roman JAGIELINSKI (since NA),
Grzegorz KOLODKO (since NA), and Miroslaw PIETRIEWICZ (since NA)
were appointed by the Sejm
cabinet: Council of Ministers is responsible to the president and
the Sejm; the prime minister appointed and the Sejm approved the
Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Zgromadzenie
Narodowe) post-communist parties (PSL 34, SLD 37), post-Solidarity
parties (UW 6, NSZZ 12, BBWR 2), non-communist, non-Solidarity
(independents 7, unaffiliated 1, vacant 1) post-communist parties
(SLD 171, PSL 132), post-Solidarity parties (UW 74, UP 41, BBWR 16),
non-communist, non-Solidarity (KPN 22)
note: four seats are constitutionally assigned to ethnic German
parties
Sejm: elections last held 19 September 1993 (next to be held no
later than 19 September 1997); results - percent of vote by party
NA; seats - (460 total)
Senate (Senat): elections last held 19 September 1993 (next to be
held no later than 19 September 1997); results - percent of vote by
party NA; seats - (100 total)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the National Council of Judiciary
Political parties and leaders:
post-Communist: Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) (Social Democracy of
Poland), Jozef OLEKSY; Polish Peasant Party (PSL), Waldemar PAWLAK
post-Solidarity parties: Freedom Union (UW; Democratic Union and
Liberal Democratic Congress merged to form Freedom Union), Leszek
BALCEROWICZ; Christian-National Union (ZCHN), Marian PILKA; Center
Alliance Party (PC), Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI; Peasant Alliance (PL),
Gabriel JANOWSKI; Solidarity Caucus (NSZZ), Marian KRZAKLEWSKI;
Union of Labor (UP), Ryszard BUGAJ; Christian-Democratic Party
(PCHD), Pawel LACZKOWSKI; Conservative Party, Aleksander HALL;
Nonparty Reform Bloc (BBWR)
non-Communist non-Solidarity: Confederation for an Independent
Poland (KPN), Leszek MOCZULSKI; German Minority (MN), Georg PORYLKA;
Union of Real Politics (UPR), Janusz KORWIN-MIKKE; Democratic Party
(SD), Antoni MACKIEWICZ
Other political or pressure groups: powerful Roman Catholic
Church; Solidarity (trade union); All Poland Trade Union Alliance
(OPZZ), trade union
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS,
BSEC (observer), CBSS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EU
(applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarset, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,
UNAVEM III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM,
UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate
partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jerzy KOZMINSKI chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802 FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nicholas Andrew REY
embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31, Warsaw
mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, Unit 1340, APO AE
09213-1340
telephone: [48] (2) 628-30-41
FAX: [48] (2) 628-82-98
consulate(s) general: Krakow