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The April Constitution of Poland ( pl, Ustawa konstytucyjna 23 IV 1935 or ''Konstytucja kwietniowa'') was the general law passed by the act of the Polish
Seidner, Stanley S. ''Marshal Edward Śmigły-Rydz Rydz and the Defense of Poland'', New York, 1978.
He also had the right to issue
Full text of April Constitution.
Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
1935 in law 1935 in Poland Constitutions of Poland Poland, 1935 Legal history of Poland 1935 documents {{constitution-stub
The April Constitution of Poland ( pl, Ustawa konstytucyjna 23 IV 1935 or ''Konstytucja kwietniowa'') was the general law passed by the act of the Polish Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...
on 23 April 1935. It introduced in the Second Polish Republic a presidential system with certain elements of authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voti ...
.
Summary
The act introduced the idea that the state is acommon good
In philosophy, economics, and political science, the common good (also commonwealth, general welfare, or public benefit) is either what is shared and beneficial for all or most members of a given community, or alternatively, what is achieved by c ...
of all the citizens. It also limited the powers of the Sejm and Senate while strengthening the authority of the President of Poland
The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Pola ...
. The President was responsible for choosing the members of the government, which, in turn, was responsible to the parliament. He also had the right to dismiss the parliament before the end of term and named a third of the senators, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army
The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...
, and the General Inspector of the Armed Forces.decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...
s and veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
acts passed by the Sejm non-constructively.
Among the most notable features of the new constitution was the president's right to name his successor in the case of war. That was used as the legal base for the existence of the Polish Government in Exile during and after World War II. The constitution was officially abolished on 22 July 1944 by the Polish Committee of National Liberation
The Polish Committee of National Liberation ( Polish: ''Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego'', ''PKWN''), also known as the Lublin Committee, was an executive governing authority established by the Soviet-backed communists in Poland at the la ...
in their manifesto, which temporarily returned to the March Constitution prior to adopting the socialist constitution in 1952. The government-in-exile operated under the April Constitution until December 1990, when it transferred its authority to Lech Walesa
Lech may refer to:
People
* Lech (name), a name of Polish origin
* Lech, the legendary founder of Poland
* Lech (Bohemian prince)
Products and organizations
* Lech (beer), Polish beer produced by Kompania Piwowarska, in Poznań
* Lech PoznaÅ ...
after his election as Poland's first noncommunist president in 46 years.
See also
*Electoral districts of Poland (1935 - 1939) Electoral districts of Poland ( pl, okręgi wyborcze, ()) are defined by Polish election law. Electoral districts can be divided depending on whether they are individual entities or parts of a larger electoral district with regard to elections to ...
References
*Full text of April Constitution.
Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
External links
1935 in law 1935 in Poland Constitutions of Poland Poland, 1935 Legal history of Poland 1935 documents {{constitution-stub