Naczelnik państwa

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Naczelnik państwa (Polish for "Chief of State") was the title of Poland's Chief of State in the early years of the Second Polish Republic. This office was held only by Józef Piłsudski, from 1918 to 1922. Until 1919 it was called "Tymczasowy naczelnik państwa" ("Provisional Chief of State"). After 1922 the Polish head of state was called prezydent (the president).

The office of Chief of State was created by a Regency Council decree of November 22, 1918, which established a system of governance for Poland pending its revision by a democratically-elected Sejm (Polish parliament).

The Naczelnik exercised the highest civil and military power in the country. He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish armed forces, with powerful prerogatives in the field of foreign relations. He appointed government ministers, who were responsible to him, including the prime minister. Any laws promulgated by the Chief of State required the signatures of the Chief of State, the prime minister, and the pertinent minister, though any such laws were to be reviewed by the first subsequent Sejm.

Józef Piłsudski, who was chosen to be the Chief of State, relinquished his powers to the first Sejm on February 20, 1919, however the Sejm requested that he remain Chief of State, describing the powers of the office (now without the word, "Temporary") in the Small Constitution of 1919. The Chief of State 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 relinquished his powers again to the newly elected President of Poland, Gabriel Narutowicz, on 14 December 1922.