Supporting and Non-supporting Entities of the Mayor in Polish Municipalities with Cohabitation

• Main Authors: Sidor, Monika Barbara, Kuć-Czajkowska, Katarzyna, Wasil, Justyna
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Institute for Local Self-Government Maribor (Slovenia) 2020
• Subjects: scipo; droit; Tabor; sami
• Online Access: http://pub.lex-localis.info/index.php/LexLocalis/article/view/1345

In the present legal state, the mayor is an important political leader in Polish municipalities. On account of being elected in direct elections and enjoying a broad range of powers, he/she is a natural local leader. Another municipal authority is the council, which fulfills decision-making and supervisory functions. Whether the mayor can effectively act depends on the outcome of elections and, in consequence, the council’s composition. Elections may lead to the phenomenon of cohabitation. This occurs when the mayor does not have the support of an absolute majority in the council or represents the opposite political camp to the members of the municipal council. Taking into account 1,737 questionnaires and 74 interviews, it turns out that mayors do not operate in a political and administrative vacuum. Even if they make decisions on their own, they need internal (councilors, local government employees) and external (entrepreneurs, representatives of NGOs, the Catholic Church, political parties) help. V sedanji pravni državi je župan pomemben politični vodja občin na Poljskem. Zaradi izvolitve na neposrednih volitvah in uživanja širokega razpona pooblastil, je župan lokalni vodja. Druga občinska oblast je svet, ki opravlja naloge odločanja in nadzora. Učinkovito delovanje župana je odvisno od izida volitev in posledično od sestave sveta. Volitve lahko privedejo do pojava kohabitacije. Do pojava pride, ko župan nima podpore absolutne večine v svetu ali predstavlja nasprotni politični tabor članom občinskega sveta. Ob pregledu 1.737 vprašalnikov in 74 intervjujev se je izkazalo, da župani ne delujejo v političnem in upravnem vakuumu. Tudi če se odločajo sami, potrebujejo notranjo pomoč (svetniki, zaposleni v lokalni upravi) in zunanjo pomoč (podjetniki, predstavniki nevladnih organizacij, katoliške cerkve, politične stranke).