Naczelnik państwa

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Naczelnik państwa (Polish for "Leader of the State") was the title of the Chief of State in the early years of the Second Polish Republic. This office has been exclusively held by Józef Piłsudski from 1918 to 1922. Until 1919 the office had been called the Tymczasowy [Provisional] naczelnik państwa. From 1922, the Polish head of state has had the title prezydent.

The office was created by the Regency Council decree of 22 November 1918, which established a system of governance in Poland until their revision by the democratically elected Sejm (Polish parliament).

Naczelnik had the highest civil and military power in the country. He was the Commander-in-Chief of Polish Army with powerful prerogatives in foreign relations. He nominated ministers which were responsible before him, including the prime minister. Any legislation required signatures of Naczelnik, Prime Minister and the relevant minister, although all such legislation was to be revised by the first Sejm.

Józef Piłsudski, who was chosen to be the Naczelnik, relinquished his powers to the first Sejm on 20 February 1919, however the Sejm requested that he remains the Naczelnik, describing the powers of the office (now withot the 'Temporary' part) in the Small Constitution of 1919. Naczelnik remained the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Army, nominated the government (with the acceptance of the Sejm) and had the highest executive power. He was a member of the Council of Defence of the Country (Rada Obrony Państwa), which was a special council created during the emergency of the Polish-Soviet War, which at one point threatened the entire newly recreated Polish country. Piłsudski reliqnushed his powers again to the newly elected President of Poland, Gabriel Narutowicz, on 14 December 1922.