Niezależność polskiej administracji wyborczej – uwagi de lege lata i postulaty de lege ferenda

Abstract

Until 2018, the organization of the Polish election administration ensured its impartiality and independence. According to the amendment to the Electoral Code made in 2018, the electoral administration has become much more susceptible to the influence of politicians. The high level of politicization is particularly evident in the way the National Electoral Commission (NEC) is staffed. The increase in the influence of the political factor also concerns the manner in which some electoral commissions are staffed. At the same time, the legislator departed from the judicial model of electoral administration. In the article, the authors describe the threats to the Polish legal system related to the politicization of these bodies. The current provisions of the Electoral Code increase the possibility of politicians interfering in the functioning of the democratic system, an example of which is the possibility of rejecting financial statements of political parties by the NEC. The authors see a chance to increase the independence of the electoral administration mainly in the constitutionalization of the NEC. The authors use research methods appropriate for the dogmatics of constitutional law, in particular, formal-dogmatic and theoretical-legal method. The authors also apply the method of critical analysis of sources and the argumentative method, which allows for constructive criticism of the discussed provisions.

Keywords

• National Electoral Commission
• election administration
• elections
• election commission