President of the Republic of Poland

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Flag of the President of Poland

The President of the Republic of Poland (Polish: Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is directly elected by the people to serve a term of five years. He can be reelected only once. His rights and obligations are determined by the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. In accordance with the current Constitution, the President of the Republic of Poland is the head of state, the supreme representative of Poland and the guarantor of the continuity of government and is prevented from holding office for more than two consecutive terms. This means that the President heads the executive authority, is appointed to represent Polish interests on the international arena, ensures the observance of the Constitution, and is responsible for the security of the state. The President calls elections to the Sejm and Senate, and in extraordinary situations has the right to shorten their terms. He can (with the Senate's consent) call a national referendum in matters important for the state, requiring the decision of all the citizens.

Lech Kaczyński, President of Poland.

The President has a free choice in selecting the Prime Minister, yet in practice he usually does not give the task of forming a new government to a politician who does not command a majority in the Sejm.

The President has a right to initiate the legislative process. He has also the opportunity to directly influence it by using his veto to stop a bill; however, his veto can be overruled by a three-fifths majority vote in the presence of at least half of the statutory number of members of the Sejm (230). Before signing a bill into law, the President can also ask the Constitutional Tribunal to verify its compliance with the Constitution, which in practice bears a decisive influence on the legislative process.

Presidential Palace on Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw, with equestrian statue of Prince Józef Poniatowski by Bertel Thorvaldsen. It should be possible to replace this fair use image with a freely licensed one. If you can, please do so as soon as is practical.

In his role as supreme representative of the Polish state, the President ratifies and revokes international agreements, nominates and recalls ambassadors, and accepts the accreditations of representatives of other states. The President also makes decisions on the award of state distinctions and orders. In addition, he has the right of clemency, viz. he can dismiss final court verdicts (in practice, the President consults such decisions with the Minister of Justice).

The President is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces; he appoints the Chief of General Staff and the commanders of all the armed forces; in wartime he nominates the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and can order general mobilization. The President performs his duties with the help of the following offices: the Chancellery of the President, the Office of National Security, and the Body of Advisors to the President.

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This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Poland

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**Summary of 9 October 2005 Polish Presidential election results**
Candidates and nominating parties	Votes 1st round	%	Votes 2nd round	%
Donald Franciszek Tusk - Civic Platform	5,429,666	36.3	7,022,319	45.96
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński - Law and Justice	4,947,927	33.1	8,257,468	54.04
Andrzej Zbigniew Lepper - Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland	2,259,094	15.1	-	-
Marek Stefan Borowski - Social Democracy of Poland	1,544,642	10.3	-	-
Jarosław Kalinowski - Polish Peasant Party	269,316	1.8	-	-
Janusz Ryszard Korwin-Mikke - Janusz Korwin-Mikke Platform	214,116	1.4	-	-
Henryka Teodora Bochniarz - Democratic Party	188,598	1.3	-	-
Liwiusz Marian Ilasz	31,691	0.2	-	-
Stanisław Tymiński - All-Polish Citizens Coalition	23,545	0.2	-	-
Leszek Henryk Bubel - Polish National Party	18,828	0.1	-	-
Jan Pyszko - Organization of the Polish Nation - Polish League	10,371	0.1	-	-
Adam Andrzej Słomka - The Polish Confederation-Freedom and the Work	8,895	0.1	-	-
Total (turnout 49.7 %)	15,046,350	100