Marshal of the Sejm


The Marshal of the Sejm also known as Sejm Marshal, Chairman of the Sejm or Speaker of the Sejm is the speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament. The office traces its origins to the 15th century. In modern Poland, the full title is Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland.

Related historical offices

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth also had an office of Sejmik Marshal.
In the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, from 1861, the chairman of the Provincial Sejm of Galicia with its seat at Lwów bore the title Marszałek krajowy. The Kingdom of Poland, from 1916 to 1918, used the title Marszałek Rady Stanu.
In the Second Polish Republic, the deputies elected one of their number as Marshal of the Sejm for the duration of the Sejm's term. Until 1935, the Marshal or Chairman of the Sejm substituted for the President of Poland in the latter's absence or disability.

Modern Marshals of the Sejm

Today the Marshal of the Sejm is the chairman of the Presidium of the Sejm and the Convention of Seniors. The Marshal oversees the work of the Sejm, supervises procedural sessions of the Sejm, and convenes and chairs the proceedings of the Convention of Seniors and the Presidium of the Sejm. He appoints the Chief of the Chambers, and since 1989 substitutes for the President of Poland in the event of that office's vacancy.
His/her deputy is the Deputy Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland.