Polish presidential election, 9 December 1922
The first presidential election in Poland took place in Warsaw on 9 December 1922. The National Assembly Gabriel Narutowicz has elected the first President of the Republic of Poland.
Background
Adopted on March 17, 1921 " March Constitution" certain the introduction of the President Office, which possessed mainly on representative powers. This intended the right side of the political scene, thus reckoning that the large authority enacting former head of state Józef Piłsudski would bring together the required majority in a presidential election for his candidacy to curtail the powers of the head of state.
After following the stabilization of the international situation on 5 and November 12, 1922 took place the parliamentary elections of Saturday, December 9, 1922 it was announced as the date of the meeting of the National Assembly, composed of the members of the Sejm and the Senate. Surprisingly announced on December 4, Józef Piłsudski, that he will not participate in the election. Thus, the parliamentary factions were forced to determine promising candidates within a few days.
The choice
Candidates
Ignacy Daszyński
Gabriel Narutowicz
Stanisław Wojciechowski
Maurycy Zamoyski
The following candidates were proposed by the political groups in the National Assembly for election:
- Ignacy Baudouin de Courtenay January Niecisław - linguist, professor of Warsaw University, former professor of St. Petersburg University and the University of Krakow, proposed by the members of national minorities
- Ignacy Daszyński - private tutor, career politicians, Acting Deputy Marshal of the Sejm, former Member of the Austrian parliament (1897-1918), 1918 Prime Minister of the Provisional Government of Poland from 1920 to 1921 and Deputy Prime Minister, Socialist ( Polish Socialist Party )
- Gabriel Narutowicz - hydraulic engineer, acting Foreign Minister, former professor at the ETH Zurich, former Minister of Public Works (1920-1922), proposed by the moderate left Peasant Party "liberation"
- Stanisław Wojciechowski - Pressure translator, cooperative members, co-founder and until 1905 a member of the Polish Socialist Party, former Minister of the Interior ( 1919-1920 ), proposed by the centric to moderate right Peasant Party " Piast "
- Maurycy Zamoyski - Great border grater seater, former Russian Count, Ambassador in Paris, proposed by the union of the nationalist and Christian Democratic parties
The votes
Under the chairmanship of Sejmmarschalls Maciej Rataj the National Assembly began its first meeting in the early afternoon. Was elected in a secret ballot by ballot throw-in.
Asked by the chairman Rataj affirmed Narutowicz the question of whether he accepted the choice. Due to the late time of the day, the National Assembly for swearing on the following Monday, December 11, was postponed.
After the election
The right-wing forces were surprised by the choice Narutowiczs because the deputies of the desired as a coalition partner Polish Peasant Party " Piast " obviously had supported the candidate of the rival Peasant Party " liberation." On the evening of 9 December, beginning with street marches and riots at a protest of the right. Support she found in a smear campaign of the nationalist press in which the elected with the votes of national minorities, among others President was reviled as a "Jewish bastard".
On December 11, the demonstrators tried to prevent the arrival Narutowiczs of the second meeting of the National Assembly, which did not succeed, although the President - Elect was pelted with snowballs, and it was trying to beat him with sticks. Narutowicz, to the rights of the accused atheism, has filed a Christian reaffirmed the oath of office. Three days later, on 14 December, he took over at the Belvedere Castle, the powers of head of state solemnly by the outgoing head of state Józef Piłsudski.
The next election of the president had been eleven days after the first election, held on 20 December 1922 as Narutowicz December 16, succumbed to his injuries after a firearms assassination of fanatical nationalists Eligiusz Neviadomski.