Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
THESENATEOFTHEREPU;LICOFPOLAND…
51
form,therightofsystem-forminginitiatives.OneoftheseentitiesistheSenate.
merightofsystem-forminginitiativerestswiththeSenateasthewhole,i.e.,
asabodyequippedbythelegislatorwithaportionofpublicpower.16Astatute
regardingamendmentstotheConstitutionisadoptedbothbytheSejmandby
theSenate,withtheSenatehaving60daystodoso,i.e.,twiceasmuchtimeas
inthecaseofabillofastatuteinthecourseofthelegislativeprocedure.Inmy
opinion,iftheSenateexceedsthisdeadline,thestatuteisnotpassed.
Furthermore,inthisrespect,thereisamajordilerenceversusthelegislative
procedure.merequirementforbothchambersoftheparliamenttoadoptthe
statuteinthesamewordingputstheSenateinadisadvantageouspositionif
comparedwithitsroleandcompetencesinthelegislativeprocedure.17Inthesys-
tem-formingprocedure,theSenatefacesadiIcultalternative.Itmayeitherpass
thestatuteonamendmentstotheConstitution,unconditionallyacceptingthe
wordingspecifiedbytheSejm,orrefusetopassthisstatute.Inthisprocedure,
theSenatecannotmakeproposalsofamendmentstothestatuteonamendments
totheConstitution,whichmeansitcannotalecttheshapeofthesolutions
containedinthatstatute.IftheSenateaccepts,withanabsolutemajorityofthe
votes,18thewordingofthestatuteonamendmentstotheConstitutionthatwas
adoptedbytheSejm,thenthestatuteispassed.However,iftheSenatedoesnot
acceptcertainsolutionsorevenpotentialerrorsinthestatuteonamendments
totheConstitution,itfindsitselfinadiIcultsituation.Itcanpassthestatute
onamendmentstotheConstitutionthatisinsomewaydefectiveor,refusing
todoso,itterminatesthesystem-formingprocedure.Itneedstobeemphasized
thatachangeoftheConstitutionwithouttheSenate’sacceptanceisimpos-
sible.merefore,withrespecttoitssystem-formingfunction,theSenatehasbeen
grantedadecisivemeasure,whichstrengthensitspositioninthelegalsystem,as
thisgoesbeyondtheconceptofaKchamberofreflection.”Ontheotherhand,
however,theSenateisunabletoarticulateamorecomplexstandpointwithre-
specttothestatuteonamendmentstotheConstitution,whichitcandointhe
legislativeprocedure.Simplyput,inthesystem-formingprocedure,theSenate
16
W.Sokolewicz,KZmianaKonstytucji…,”p.24.
17
P
.B.Zientarski,OrganizacjawewnętrznaSenatu.Studiumprawno-ustrojowe,Toruń2011,
p.28.
18
Forcomparison,astatuteexpressingconsenttotheratificationofaninternationalagree-
ment,onthebasisofwhichaninternationalorganizationorbodyisgrantedtherightsofstate
authoritiesincertainmatters,ispassedbytheSenatewithatwo-thirdsmajorityofthevotes
(Article90oftheConstitutionoftheRepublicofPoland),which,fromtheformalpointofview,
resultsinatleastquasi-constitutionalnatureofsuchstatutes.
