On 26 March 2020, by a resolution adopted on 26 March 2020, the Standing Orders of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland were amended to allow the sessions to be conducted using electronic means of remote communication. These amendments raise serious reservations as to their constitutionality. This is due to the fact that the Constitution of 1997 stipulates that the Sejm and Senate shall meet at sessions, while the meeting, being a concept that has been defined, is defined as the assembly of MPs in one place in order to consider the matter under discussion. In addition, as parliamentary practice has demonstrated, the changes introduced have generated a number of problems related to Deputies’ attendance at such remote sessions, participation in debates and casting votes. As a consequence, this may lead to weakening of the legitimacy of the work of the Chamber and a reduction in the capacity to exercise the mandate.

The First Meeting of the Senate of the Republic of Poland

The purpose of this article is to present the constitutional and legal issues related to the first sitting of the Senate of the Republic of Poland after the elections. The author made a substantive analysis of the issue of the entity obliged to convene the first sitting, the legal form of this convocation, the date and place of the sitting, as well as the subject matter, i.e. the agenda of the sitting. A division was made into obligatory and optional points of the agenda of the meeting. The article also contains several conclusions concerning the status of the Senior Speaker. The author focuses his attention primarily on an analysis of the constitutional regulations concerning the issues raised, obviously taking into account the provisions of the rules of the chamber.