Redagowanie przepisów o wejściu w życie aktu normatywnego powszechnie obowiązującego – analiza krytyczna na marginesie nowelizacji ustawy – Kodeks wyborczy z 2023 r.

Abstract

This article critically analyses the provisions on entry into force, based on the provisions of the 2023 Act Amending the Electoral Code, which made the entry into force of certain normative solutions dependent on a deadline specified in the announcement of the competent central authority of state administration. However, this construction is not found in the directives for the construction of legal acts, specified in the Principles of Legislative Technique of 2002. Additionally, the article also draws attention to legal problems resulting from the use of such blameworthy legislative practice, including in the context of the presumption of widespread familiarity with the law. Moreover, this announcement, in accordance with statutory regulations, was subject to promulgation in the Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland, although this is not reflected in the Act on the Promulgation of Normative Acts and Certain Other Legal Acts. Therefore, this legislative maneouvre should be considered unacceptable and, consequently, in some cases, inconsistent with Article 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, which establishes the principle of a democratic rule-of-law state. In order to justify the presented thesis statement, the author analyses the provisions of the Act Amending the Electoral Code, discusses the conceptual apparatus and theoretical constructs in the context of law-making practice, using the hermeneutical and formal-dogmatic methods. The research opens up the field for broader considerations on compliance with the Principles of Legislative Technique in the law-making process.