Interpelacje poselskie Klubu Polskiej Partii Socjalistycznej w I Sejmie Śląskim (1922-1929)

Abstract

Parliamentary Club of the Polish Socialist Party, though involving only 8 members, interpellated the Silesian provincial governor 23 times. The very number gave him the first place, leaving more numerous clubs behind, that is the Club of Christian Democracy (19 members), and German Club (18 members). Four clubs of the Silesian parliament introduced 88 interpellations altogether, 26.1% interpellations of which fell on a socialist club. It is possible that this dynamic activity of socialists in terms of interpellations’ introduction was inspired by the position of the Polish Socialist Party as an opposition party. A substantial percentage number of the PSP interpellations in relation to their total number seems to confirm W. Komarnicki’s hypothesis that the right to interpellate is given the opposition most of all. The analyses conducted by the author of the article show that the practice of questioning strongly diverged from the rules of the 44th article of both standing orders of the first Silesian Sejm, thoroughly defining the mode of three phases of interpellations. Several groups of thematic interpellations are definitely dominated by the workers’ social problems (12 questions), showing a tight and logical connection with the platform assumptions of the Polish Socialist Party, also highlighted before the elections to the first Silesian Sejm on 24 September 1922.