OPPOSITIONS TOOLS FOR CONTROLLING THE GOVERNMENT (Instrumenty kontroli nad rzadem opozycji parlamentarnej)

In democratic countries, opposition is defined in various ways, depending on the binding party system, the legal status of parties in the Parliament and the practice developed. But undoubtedly, without opposition, control over the government would be usually only formal. The article presents a selection of the most important tools that the lower chamber of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) has at its disposal to control the Council of Ministers and the government administration, which are mainly used by opposing parliamentary groupings and circles. The author also attempts to assess how the opposition in the previous Parliament fulfilled this task.