The Senate of The Republic of Poland Today
The term of office of a senator is four years. The Senate may reject or amend the bills passed by the Sejm but any rejection or amendment may still be overruled by an absolute majority vote in the Sejm. A joint session of the Senate and the Sejm is known as a National Assembly. Traditionally, the Senate takes particular care of Polonia, Polish communities outside Poland.
Until 2010, senators were elected by a plurality bloc voting method (rare internationally, but often used in U.S. local elections), where two or more candidates with the highest support are elected from each electorate, and each voter selects as many candidates as there are seats (i.e., there is no proportional representation). The exact number of senators from each electorate was dependent on its population and varied from two to four.
Since 2010, senators are elected by the single member, one-round first-past-the-post voting method.
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