Editing Veto (section)

=== Liberum veto ===
{{main|Liberum veto}}

In the constitution of the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] in the 17th and 18th centuries, all bills had to pass the ''Sejm'' or "Seimas" (parliament) by [[unanimous]] consent, and if any legislator invoked the ''[[liberum veto]]'', this not only vetoed that bill but also all previous legislation passed during the session, and dissolved the legislative session itself. The concept originated in the idea of "Polish democracy" as any Pole of noble extraction was considered as good as any other, no matter how low or high his material condition might be. The more and more frequent use of this veto power paralyzed the power of the legislature and, combined with a string of weak figurehead kings, led ultimately to the [[Partitions of Poland|partitioning and the dissolution of the Polish state]] in the late 18th century.