New Sejm Commences Its Work in Poland

At noon today, Polish elected representatives will gather to conduct the inauguration of the new Sejm. It is a traditional-formalized session that begins in an empty hall, as reported by RMF24. 

The inaugural session of the new Sejm will open with the national anthem, played discreetly in the corridors by the Polish Armed Forces orchestra. 

Subsequently, President Andrzej Duda will address the parliamentarians, followed by a speech from the appointed senior marshal, Deputy Marek Sawicki. The allocation of seats for the newly elected deputies in the hall, the election of the Sejm marshal (speaker), and the swearing-in procedure of deputies will then take place.

Before assuming their duties, deputies swear the following oath before the Sejm: 'I solemnly swear to honestly and conscientiously fulfill my duties to the People, defend the sovereignty and interests of the State, do everything for the prosperity of the Homeland and the welfare of its citizens, and adhere to the Constitution and other laws of the Republic of Poland.'

After reading the oath recorded in the Constitution, each summoned deputy, in turn, stands up and utters the word 'I swear.' A deputy may add the sentence: 'May God help me.' 

The election of the speaker is organized by the senior marshal. Groups of 15 or more deputies can nominate candidates for this position. If a candidate receives an absolute majority of votes with the presence of at least half of the total number of deputies in the hall, they become the speaker. If there are multiple candidates and none receives the necessary majority, the voting is repeated with the elimination of the candidate with the fewest votes. If a speaker is still not elected, the procedure is repeated.

According to prior agreements outlined in the coalition agreement of all opposition parties (Civic Platform, Third Way bloc, and Left), it is known that for the first two years of the parliamentary term, the speaker will be chosen from the Poland 2050 leader within the Third Way, Szymon Holownia.

Also, during the first session, the formal resignation of the outgoing Prime Minister takes place, and the president accepts it, granting a mandate to the newly elected candidate to form the government. Earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced that after the parliamentary elections on October 15, he would entrust the formation of a new government to the current Prime Minister from the ruling Law and Justice party, Mateusz Morawiecki.

Recall that, despite the fact that the ruling PiS party has the largest representation in the Sejm, it failed to secure enough support to guarantee a majority. In the event of Morawiecki's attempts to form a government failing, this right will transfer to the opposition, which has already prepared a coalition agreement and nominated Tusk as its sole candidate.