Editing Voivode (section)

=====1944–1950=====
The [[Polish Committee of National Liberation]] (PKWN) in its Manifesto of 22 July 1944, referred to the [[March Constitution (Poland)|March Constitution of 1921]], but at the same time stated that it exercises power through Voivodeship, [[Powiat]], city and gmina [[National Council (Poland)|national councils]] and through authorized representatives. Where national councils do not exist, democratic organizations are obliged to establish them immediately. According to the decree of the Polish Committee of National Liberation of 21 August 1944, these "authorised representatives" were voivodes and starostes. The provincial department ({{langx|pl|Wydział wojewódzki}}), introduced for the first time in Poland, was the executive body of the Voivodeship National Council. The chairman was the voivode or his deputy. Voivodes were initially appointed by the PKWN at the request of the minister of public administration. The Voivode was appointed and dismissed by the PKWN, from 31 December 1944, the Provisional Government did so at the request of the minister of public administration, and after the adoption of the [[Small Constitution of 1947]] the President of Poland at the request of the minister of public administration in consultation with the president of the [[Council of Ministers (Poland)|Council of Ministers]] after consulting the competent Voivodeship National Council. The dismissal of a voivode by the appointing authority required a request from the minister of public administration. The voivode's resignation could be demanded by the voivodeship national council on its own initiative or on the initiative of one of the poviat national councils.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.senat.gov.pl/download/gfx/senat/pl/defaultaktualnosci/1924/10541/1/samorzad_internet.pdf|title=Administracja państwowa i samorząd w Polsce w ujęciu historyczno-prawnym Wybrane zagadnienia|lang=pl|accessdate=2023-04-14|publisher=Polish Senate|pages=156–157}}</ref> 

The tasks of the voivode with the help of the voivodeship departments:

*Preparation of matters to be discussed by the voivodeship national council or its presidium;
*Deciding on all matters not reserved for the decision of the council or its presidium;
*Implementing the resolution of the council or its presidium;
*Performing, at the request of the council or its presidium, control over the activities of executive bodies of the lower level of self-government and state administration bodies;
* Exercising orderly authority over presidents, vice-presidents, members of city councils, and members of poviat departments;
*Perform other activities entrusted to it by the laws;
* Reporting on its activities to the presidium of the appropriate national council, at least once a month.

From 1946 the voivode was subjected to social control of the [[National Council (Poland)|voivodeship national council]] and was obliged to submit periodic reports to it (actually the presidium) on the general line of his activities. The voivode ceased to be the chairman of the voivodeship national council, but due to the position he held, he was a member of the voivodeship national council. Instead, he was the chairman of the provincial government department (the executive body of the council and elected by it), reporting to the provincial national council in this regard. In according to statue of 20 March 1950, the institution of the Voivode was abolished and his competences was transferred to the Voivodeship National Council and it's presidium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sip.lex.pl/akty-prawne/dzu-dziennik-ustaw/terenowe-organy-jednolitej-wladzy-panstwowej-16780950|title=USTAWA z dnia 20 marca 1950 r. o terenowych organach jednolitej władzy państwowej|lang=pl|accessdate=2023-04-14|date=1950-03-20|publisher=Dziennik Ustaw}}</ref>