The Council of State of the

Republic of Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

() was introduced by the Small Constitution of 1947 as an organ of

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

power. The Council of State consisted of the

President of the Republic of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executiv ...

as chairman, the

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

and Vice-marshals of the

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

, President of the Supreme Audit Office, and potential other members. The Council of State had the power to approve decrees issued by the

Council of Ministers Council of Ministers is a traditional name given to the supreme Executive (government), executive organ in some governments. It is usually equivalent to the term Cabinet (government), cabinet. The term Council of State is a similar name that also m ...

, exercise supreme control over the local national councils, approve promulgation of laws concerning the budget and military draft, declare a state of emergency and martial law, initiate legislation, and others.Small Constitution
at the Sejm website Under the 1952

Constitution of the Polish People's Republic The Constitution of the Polish People's Republic (also known as the July Constitution or the Constitution of 1952) was a supreme law passed in communist-ruled Poland on 22 July 1952. It superseded the post-World War II provisional Small Cons ...

, the office of the President of Poland was eliminated and the Council of State became a collective

head of state A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state.#Foakes, Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representative of its international persona." The name given to the office of head of sta ...

organ. According to Article 29 of the constitution, the Council of State consisted of seventeen people: the chairman, four deputy chairmen, the secretary, and eleven other members. All were elected by the Sejm from its members during the parliament's first session after elections. They were usually chosen from the deputies representing the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR), although occasionally deputies from PZPR's satellite parties, United People's Party (ZSL) and Alliance of Democrats (SD) were elected. In practice, the council (and the Polish state) was often represented by its chairman, who may have been referred to as the president of Poland by foreign representatives. The council ratified or renounced international agreements, appointed and recalled representatives of Poland to other states and to international organizations; it conferred orders and had the power of pardon. Some of its other constitutional functions were: * calling elections to the Sejm and convening its sessions, * issuing decrees during periods between Sejm sessions (the decrees had to be later accepted by the Sejm), * initiating legislation, * determining binding interpretations of Sejm statues. When the Sejm was not in session (in practice, for most of the year), the Council of State had the power to issue decrees that had the force of law. These decrees had to be approved by the Sejm at its next session.Chapter 3
of 1952 Constitution Due to the principles of

democratic centralism Democratic centralism is the organisational principle of most communist parties, in which decisions are made by a process of vigorous and open debate amongst party membership, and are subsequently binding upon all members of the party. The co ...

, however, such approvals were usually a mere formality. The Council of State institution was eliminated on 19 July 1989 by a constitutional amendment. Some of its functions were transferred to the reestablished office of the President of Poland.

Chairmen of the Council of State

''main article:'' '' Chairman of the Council of State (Poland)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polish Council Of State Polish People's Republic Stalinism in Poland

Chairmen of the Council of State

See also

References