Government and power in Poland

Who leads Poland, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary republic.

Who leads Poland?

• Head of state: Karol Nawrocki (President of the Republic of Poland)
• Head of government: Donald Tusk (Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland)
• Foreign minister: Radosław Sikorski (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland)

Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Governance scores

The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.

Voice and accountability

Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.

Political stability and absence of violence

Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.

Government effectiveness

Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.

Regulatory quality

Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.

Rule of law

Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.

Control of corruption

Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.

Official bodies that hold power in Poland

Government

• Government of Poland portal
  Official portal of ministries and central offices, with government announcements.

Parliament

• Sejm
  Bills, sitting transcripts, votes and deputy information of the lower house.
• Senate
  Senate resolutions, sitting records and senator information.

Elections

• National Electoral Commission
  Election resolutions, official results and party financial reports.

Courts

• Supreme Court
  Judgments and resolutions of Poland's highest court in civil, criminal and labour cases.

Public audit

• Supreme Audit Office
  Audit reports on state budget execution and public institutions.

Ombudsman

• Commissioner for Human Rights
  Interventions, reports and statements on human-rights complaints.

Public contracts

• e-Zamówienia platform
  Public tender notices, the Public Procurement Bulletin and procurement documents.
• Public Procurement Office
  Procurement guidance, oversight reports and statistics.

Laws and the official gazette

• Internet System of Legal Acts
  Polish legal acts published in the Journal of Laws and Monitor Polski, with consolidated texts.
• Journal of Laws
  The official journal in which Polish statutes and regulations are promulgated.

Government below the national level

• Regions – województwa (16): Regional assembly (sejmik) directly elected; it elects a board headed by the marshal (marszałek)
• Counties – powiaty (380, including 66 cities with county status): County council directly elected; it elects the starosta (county head) and board
• Municipalities – gminy (2,477): Council directly elected; mayor (wójt in villages, burmistrz in towns, prezydent in cities) directly elected for five years
• Auxiliary units – sołectwa (villages) and osiedla/dzielnice (urban districts): Created by the municipal council; sołtys usually chosen by the village meeting under rules in the unit's statute

How local power works in Poland

Places in Poland

• All 17 voivodeships
• The 36 largest cities
• Official statistics for Poland

Sources

• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
• World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
• World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)

Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.