Note

on the continuation of the 33rd sitting of the Sejm on 16 December 2016 in the Columned Hall of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland

1. In view of the obstruction of the work of the Sejm by the members of the opposition clubs, the Speaker of the Sejm decided to continue the sitting of the Sejm in the Columned Hall of the Republic of Poland. The sitting of the Sejm in the Columned Hall was conducted with observance of the constitutional and statutory requirements.
2. All Members were informed of the date and place of the continuation of the meeting by text message. In addition, the information used was displayed on the screens in the plenary chamber. This information was also conveyed at the meeting of the Senior Convention with the simultaneous request of the Speaker of the Sejm to the chairpersons of all clubs to allow the proceedings to be conducted in the plenary chamber.
3. Pursuant to Rule 7(5) of the Rules of Procedure of the Sejm, the attendance lists were displayed throughout the day on 16 December 2016 in the customary place and were available to all Members throughout the day. It should be noted, however, that the attendance list does not constitute the basis for determining the quorum at a sitting of the Sejm. The attendance list is only the basis for establishing the statutory obligation of a Member to attend a sitting of the Sejm. On December 16, 2016, the presence of a Member at a sitting was evidenced by his/her participation in voting.
4. In view of the technical and organizational conditions in the Columned Hall, the Speaker of the Sejm, pursuant to Rule 188, Section 3 of the Rules of the Sejm, decided to order voting by show of hands and counting of the votes by the secretaries. For this purpose, the Columned Hall was divided into sectors with appointed secretaries. The Speaker of the Sejm announced the result of voting on the basis of protocols presented by the secretaries. The results of all votes announced by the Speaker of the Sejm unequivocally showed that the votes were conducted in observance of the constitutional quorum.
5. Due to the method of voting used, it is not possible to announce the results immediately in the Sejm Information System.
6. In connection with the formal motion filed by MP J. Sasin to change the voting procedure, the Sejm Bureau, after consulting the Rules, Parliamentary Affairs and Immunity Committee, issued a resolution on the interpretation of Article 184 (3) (9) of the Rules of the Sejm. The application of this interpretation resulted in a significant reduction in the number of votes on bills, including the 2017 budget bill.