Obstrukcja parlamentarna – wybrane zagadnienia prawne i polityczne na historycznym tle

In parliaments where various political rationales clash, it is generally impossible to rule out actions carried out in order to delay or prevent a decision from being taken in legislative proceedings, sometimes in other votes related to, for example, the creative function. Most of such actions are based on statutory possibilities or at least do not violate intra-parliamentary regulations. This study refers to the parliamentary practice of selected countries taking into account the historical context and characterises the most frequently used forms of parliamentary obstruction, with particular emphasis on the Polish Sejm. As a reaction to the opposition’s propensity for obstruction, changes in parliamentary regulations are made to make it less likely. However, the practices in question cannot be completely ruled out without undermining the free representational mandate and the related independence and universal nature of representation.