Poland
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- republic
- CONSTITUTION
- adopted by the National Assembly on April 2, 1997, and confirmed by a referendum on May 25, 1997
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- a mixed system of continental (Napoleonic) elements and communist theory; gradual changes have been introduced as part of the democratization process
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- bicameral National Assembly, composed of the Senate and Sejm (lower house)
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Court (judges appointed by the Head of State on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, for an indefinite term); Constitutional Tribunal (judges chosen for nine years by the Sejm)
RELIGIONS
89.8% Catholics, 1.6% Protestants, other minorities
From the country
- SEPTEMBER 6, 2000PolandDEATH PENALTY
It was revealed that the US failed to inform Polish...
It was revealed that the US failed to inform Polish authorities of the arrest and trial of Grzegorz Madej, a Polish citizen in Illinois, on rape and murder charges in 1981 as required by the 1963 Vienna Convention and the US Polish 1972 Bilateral Conventi
- AUGUST 31, 2000PolandDEATH PENALTY
Poland's Justice Ministry asked the US government to...
Poland's Justice Ministry asked the US government to extradite to Poland Grzegorz Madej, a Pole sentenced to death in the US
- AUGUST 1, 2000PolandDEATH PENALTY
Presidential candidate Andrzej Lepper spoke out in...
Presidential candidate Andrzej Lepper spoke out in Gdansk in favour of restoring the death penalty in Poland for a period of three to five years
- JUNE 12, 2000PolandDEATH PENALTY
Lech Kaczynski, the Justice Minister, said he believed...
Lech Kaczynski, the Justice Minister, said he believed that there was a need for tougher sentences
- APRIL 26, 2000PolandDEATH PENALTY
Poland cosponsored and voted in favour of the resolution...
Poland cosponsored and voted in favour of the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 26 (no
- APRIL 21, 2000PolandDEATH PENALTY
About 30 young people staged a picket outside the US...
About 30 young people staged a picket outside the US embassy in Warsaw to protest the death sentence given to Mumia Abu-Jamal by a US court
- APRIL 14, 2000PolandDEATH PENALTY
The Sejm (the lower house of parliament) voted to authorise...
The Sejm (the lower house of parliament) voted to authorise the president to ratify Protocol Six of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, which envisages a ban on capital punishment but allows for the possibility of the death penalty
- JANUARY 1, 2000PolandDEATH PENALTY
A penal code introduced in 1998 replaced the death...
A penal code introduced in 1998 replaced the death penalty with life imprisonment, despite vocal campaigning by right-wing activists who pointed out that more than 60 percent of Poles support capital punishment for brutal murders
- NOVEMBER 18, 1999PolandDEATH PENALTY
On November 18, Poland formalized its opposition to...
On November 18, Poland formalized its opposition to the death penalty by signing Protocol No
- APRIL 28, 1999PolandDEATH PENALTY
Poland was a cosponsor and voted in favor of the resolution...
Poland was a cosponsor and voted in favor of the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 28 (1999/61)
- JANUARY 18, 1999PolandDEATH PENALTY
On January 18, more than three-quarters of Poles favored...
On January 18, more than three-quarters of Poles favored the restoration of the death penalty, Poland's leading polling center said
- JANUARY 1, 1999PolandDEATH PENALTY
The Polish Parliament permanently abolished the death...
The Polish Parliament permanently abolished the death penalty when the Diet adopted a new Criminal Code on June 6, 1997