| Diet of Galicia Sejm Krajowy Galicji Галицький Крайовий Сейм |
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|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | Unicameral |
| Leadership | |
| Marshal (speaker) | Stanisław Niezabitowski (last) |
| Structure | |
| Members | 161 (150 until 1900) |
| Committees | Executive |
| Elections | |
| Last election | 1913 |
| Meeting place | |
| Lemberg | |
The Diet of Galicia (Polish: Sejm Krajowy Galicji, Ukrainian: Га́лицький крайови́й сейм) was the regional assembly of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, which was part of Austro-Hungary. The Galician diet was a unicameral assembly composed of 150 deputies, which was presided over by a marshal (speaker) or a vice-marshal that were appointed by the emperor. The vice-marshal was usually Ukrainian and most often the metropolitan of Lviv. The main language of the diet was Polish, although the Ukrainian was also allowed.
The Galician diet was first reestablished in 1861 as a regional parliament of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The last convocation of the Galician diet was held in 1913.
In the elections, the seats were given by the direct vote to the representatives of four curiae: large landowners, chambers of commerce and manufacture, city population, and rural population. The rural curia, although bigger than the rest, had to choose electors who pick a candidate.[1] Ukrainians voted only in the rural curia.[1] The last elections to the diet were held in 1913. Each representative was elected for six year period. Beside the electing representatives the diet had some number of ex-officio members, non-elective: archbishops, bishops, and university rectors.
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Initially founded as a diet of the Austrian crown regional government. The institution, however, locally was known as "district sejm" both in both the Polish and Ukrainian languages.
On April 13, 1817 Francis I issued an Imperial Patent to create the Galician Diet of Estates under the supervision of Austrian Congress. The Diet also had the Department of Estates that was to supervise a local taxation and prepare corresponding reports. The meetings of that Diet took place on annual basis and usually in fall. At that time the institution was more of nominal form, not be able to amend neither the Imperial Postulates, nor send any propositions or petitions to the Austrian parliament. Historians mention that local farmers paid taxes of much higher degree than their neighbors in Russian Poland.
Initially there were seven representatives of clergy (3 Greek-Catholic, 3 Roman-Catholic, and one Arminian-Catholic) and two major universities (Lwow University and Krakow University). Later was added one more seat to Roman-Catholic representative and single representation for each Lwow Polytechnical University and Academy of Learning from Krakow.
Initially the diet was located in the Skarbek Theatre (today Maria Zankovetska National Academic Ukrainian Drama Theater) until 1880 then it was relocated to the building of Lviv University.
The diet was the main body of legislative power in Galicia. The assembly was determining the principles of the domestic and regional policy, adopting laws, approving the region budget, acting as the regional administration, providing corresponding policies for local economic and cultural affairs. The laws passed by the diet had to be approved by the emperor.
Note: Marshals sometimes were simultaneously the governors of the crown land such as Alfred and Andrzej Potockis (von Pilawa).
The Executive Committee was consisting of the marshal and six other diet members with at least one Ukrainian representative. The committee was elected for six years by the diet.
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