The Polish Parliament consists of two legislative bodies. The lower house is called Sejm, and Senate is the upper house. 460 elected deputies sit in Sejm, and 100 senators in the Senate. Candidates standing for Sejm must be citizens of Poland, enjoying full public rights and aged at least 21 on the day of the election. Candidates to the Senate must be 30 years old.
Deputies (Members of Sejm) are returned for the electoral constituency where they won their mandate. Most constituency borders coincide with those of one or several gminas. In large cities constituencies may be smaller in area. During a parliamentary vote, neither members of Sejm nor senators are bound in any way by the instructions of their electorate, but do have the constitutional obligation to be guided by the well-being of the entire Republic.
The Polish political system is based on a party system. In the parliamentary, presidential, and local elections candidates supported by significant political parties stand a better chance of success. Parliamentarians belonging to the same political group create their parliamentary "clubs" within the Sejm and Senate. In practice most of the bills and legislative amendments are brought to the House through the parliamentary clubs.
Parliamentary deputies participate in Sejm sessions and have the right to question members of the Council of Ministers; they work in numerous, permanent or special, committees attached to Sejm or Senate, and established to review various issues related to state administration and public life.
The following permanent committees operate within the Sejm of the Republic of Poland:
- Administration and Internal Affairs Committee
- Agriculture and Rural Development Committee
- Committee on Liaison with Poles Abroad
- Constitutional Accountability Committee
- Culture and Media Committee
- Deputies' Ethics Committee
- Economic Committee
- Education, Science and Youth Committee
- Environment Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry Committee
- European Committee
- Foreign Affairs Committee
- Health Committee
- Infrastructure Committee
- Justice and Human Rights Committee
- Legislative Committee
- Local Self - Government and Regional Policy Committee
- National and Ethnic Minorities Committee
- National Defence Committee
- Physical Education and Sport Committee
- Public Finances Committee
- Rules and Deputies' Affairs Committee
- Social Policy and Family Committee
- Special Services Committee
- State Control Committee
- State Treasury
FOR MORE DETAILS please visit www.sejm.gov.pl
The following parliamentary clubs operate in the current Sejm and Senate, elected for the term which began in 2011 and will end in 2015:
- The Civic Platform (PO)
- The Law and Justice Party (PiS)
- The Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)
- The Polish Peasants' Party (PSL)
- The Palikot's Movement (RPP)
- The Solidarna Polska Party (SP)
Parliamentary work is coordinated by its statutory bodies:
- Marshals (Speakers) of the Sejm and Senate
- Sejm and Senate Boards (Marshals and Deputy Marshals)
- The Caucus of Seniors (Marshals, Deputy Marshals and Chairpersons of parliamentary clubs)
- Sejm and Senate committees
