PRINCIPLES OF PROCEEDINGS IN A CONSTITUTIONAL COMPLAINT

Abstract

The constitutional complaint was introduced into the Polish legal order with the entry into force of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of April 2, 1997. In accordance with the will of the legislator, the Polish model of a constitutional complaint has been shaped as narrow, both in the sphere of the objective scope, which by definition includes normative acts, and the scope of complaint protection granted to the complainant, which is of a limited nature. The doctrine rightly emphasizes that the Constitution of the Republic of Poland has relatively broadly defined the system of individual freedoms and rights, thus giving them the rank of constitutional fundamental rights. The effective implementation of these rights depends on the provision of effective means of their protection. Among the latter, the constitutional complaint comes to the fore as a special, extra-instance and extra-judicial means of legal protection, opening an individuals access to the Constitutional Tribunal. The principles determining the proceedings before the Constitutional Tribunal include the principle of the right of citizens to court, the principle of material truth, the principle of equality, the principle of availability, the principle of constitutional legality, the principle of adversarial procedure, the principle of openness of proceedings, the principle of collegiality, the principle of directness, the principle of orality, the principle of concentration evidence, and finally the principle of procedural formalism.