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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Poland
Index
The upper house of the National Assembly, the Senate,
was
reestablished by the Round Table Agreement more than four
decades
after being abolished by the communist government. The
Round
Table Agreement provides for the direct popular election
of all
100 senators--two from each of the forty-nine districts
(województwa; sing. województwo, sometimes
seen in
English as voivodship) with the exception of Warsaw and
Katowice,
which elect three senators each. The senators' four-year
terms of
office coincide with those of Sejm deputies.
The Senate sets its own agenda and committee structure.
As in
the Sejm, committee appointments are dictated by the
numerical
strength of the parties and factions represented in the
chamber.
Besides its budget review function, the Senate also
reviews Sejm
legislation and may approve, amend, or reject within
thirty days.
The Senate also confirms key appointments, including the
commissioner for citizens' rights and the chairperson of
the
Supreme Control Chamber, both of whom are nominated by the
Sejm.
Within one month after parliamentary elections, the
president
is required to call the first session of the new Senate.
The
Senate Presidium consists of the permanent marshal and six
other
prominent senators. The Sejm and Senate presidia
occasionally
meet to coordinate agendas and create joint committees as
required.
Data as of October 1992
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