Diet of Galicia

Not to be confused with Diet of Bukovina.

Diet of Galicia Sejm Krajowy Galicji Галицький Крайовий Сейм
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Marshal (speaker)	Stanisław Niezabitowski (last)
Structure
Members	161 (150 until 1900)
Committees	Executive
Elections
Last election	1913
Meeting place
Lemberg

The Diet of Galicia (before 1918), since 1920 Lviv University.

The Diet of Galicia (Polish: Sejm Krajowy Galicji, Ukrainian: Га́лицький крайови́й сейм) was the regional assembly of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, which was part of Austro-Hungary. The Galician diet was a unicameral assembly composed of 150 deputies, which was presided over by a marshal (speaker) or a vice-marshal that were appointed by the emperor. The vice-marshal was usually Ukrainian and most often the metropolitan of Lviv. The main language of the diet was Polish, although the Ukrainian was also allowed.

The Galician diet was first reestablished in 1861 as a regional parliament of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The last convocation of the Galician diet was held in 1913.

In the elections, the seats were given by the direct vote to the representatives of four curiae: large landowners, chambers of commerce and manufacture, city population, and rural population. The rural curia, although bigger than the rest, had to choose electors who pick a candidate.^[1] Ukrainians voted only in the rural curia.^[1] The last elections to the diet were held in 1913. Each representative was elected for six year period. Beside the electing representatives the diet had some number of ex-officio members, non-elective: archbishops, bishops, and university rectors.

Name

Initially founded as a diet of the Austrian crown regional government. The institution, however, locally was known as "district sejm" both in both the Polish and Ukrainian languages.

History

Background

On April 13, 1817 Francis I issued an Imperial Patent to create the Galician Diet of Estates under the supervision of Austrian Congress. The Diet also had the Department of Estates that was to supervise a local taxation and prepare corresponding reports. The meetings of that Diet took place on annual basis and usually in fall. At that time the institution was more of nominal form, not be able to amend neither the Imperial Postulates, nor send any propositions or petitions to the Austrian parliament. Historians mention that local farmers paid taxes of much higher degree than their neighbors in Russian Poland.

Electoral districts

1st curia (land owners)

16 obwods (representation from each obwod varied from 1 to 3, Krakow had six)

2nd curia (chambers of comerce)

3 izbas (Krakow, Lwow, Brody)

3rd curia (urban)

15, later up to 20 okrugs (okrugs of Lwow and Krakow contained multiple representation)

4th curia (rural)

74 okrugs

Initially there were seven representatives of clergy (3 Greek-Catholic, 3 Roman-Catholic, and one Arminian-Catholic) and two major universities (Lwow University and Krakow University). Later was added one more seat to Roman-Catholic representative and single representation for each Lwow Polytechnical University and Academy of Learning from Krakow.

Location

Building of the parliament 1861-1880

Initially the diet was located in the Skarbek Theatre (today Maria Zankovetska National Academic Ukrainian Drama Theater) until 1880 then it was relocated to the building of Lviv University.

Mission and authority

The diet was the main body of legislative power in Galicia. The assembly was determining the principles of the domestic and regional policy, adopting laws, approving the region budget, acting as the regional administration, providing corresponding policies for local economic and cultural affairs. The laws passed by the diet had to be approved by the emperor.

Composition

Convocations

• First convocation (1861-1867)
• Second convocation (1867-1869)
• Third convocation (1870-1876)
• Forth convocation (1877-1882)
• Fifth convocation (1882-1889)
• Sixth convocation (1889-1895)
• Seventh convocation (1895-1901)
• Eighth convocation (1901-1907)
• Ninth convocation (1908-1913)
• Tenth convocation (1913-1914)

Marshal and vice-Marshal

See also: Marshal of the Sejm

• Prince Leon Sapieha (April 11, 1861 – March 19, 1875)
  • Spiridon Lytvynovych (1861 - 1868)
  • Julian Lawriwsky (1869 - 1872)
  • Ivan Stupnytsky (1873 - 1875)
• Duke Alfred Potocki von Pilawa (March 19 – December 1875)
  • Ivan Stupnytsky (1875)
• Duke Włodzimierz Dzieduszycki (March 7, 1876–1876)
  • Ivan Stupnytsky (1875 - 1876)
• Duke Ludwik Wodzicki (August 8, 1877–1881)
  • Ivan Stupnytsky (1877 - 1881)
• Mikołaj Zyblikiewicz (September 14, 1881 – November 6, 1886)
  • Ivan Stupnytsky (1881 - 1882)
  • Sylvester Sembratovych (1883 - 1886)
• Duke Jan Tarnowski(November 18, 1886–1890)
  • Sylvester Sembratovych (1886 - 1890)
• Prince Eustachy Sanguszko (October 14, 1890 – September 24, 1895)
  • Sylvester Sembratovych (1890 - 1895)
• Duke Stanisław Badeni (October 31, 1895 – October 7, 1901), 1st time
  • Sylvester Sembratovych (1895 - 1897)
  • Kostyantyn Chekhovych (1897 - 1901)
• Duke Andrzej Potocki^[2] von Pilawa (October 9, 1901–1903), Governor of Galicia, was killed by the Ukrainian student Myroslav Sichynsky
  • Andrey Sheptytsky (1901 - 1903)
• Duke Stanisław Badeni (June 26, 1903 – April 2, 1913), 2nd time
  • Andrey Sheptytsky (1903 - 1910)
  • Kostyantyn Chekhovych (1912)
  • Andrey Sheptytsky (1913)
• Adam Gołuchowski von Gołuchowo (December 5, 1913 – April 15, 1914)
  • Kostyantyn Chekhovych (1913 - 1914)

• Stanisław Niezabitowski (May 15, 1914 – November 1918)

Note: Marshals sometimes were simultaneously the governors of the crown land such as Alfred and Andrzej Potockis (von Pilawa).

Executive committee

The Executive Committee was consisting of the marshal and six other diet members with at least one Ukrainian representative. The committee was elected for six years by the diet.

See also

• Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian Council
• Central Rada, Ukrainian parliament
• Sejm of the Republic of Poland
• Imperial Council (Austria)
• Diet (assembly)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Galician diet (Ukrainian)
2. ^ Count explained his reasons of not be able to celebrate the Grunwald Battle in Lemberg (English)

External links

• "Official website" (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. http://rada.gov.ua. 
• "Holos Ukrayiny Newspaper" (in Ukrainian/Russian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. http://www.golos.com.ua/. 
• "Viche Magazine" (in Ukrainian/English). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. http://www.viche.info/. 
• "NY Times archive article". NY Times. July 14, 1902. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9507E2D71330E733A25757C1A9619C946397D6CF. Retrieved May 1, 2010. 
• The Cambridge Modern History, Vol. 10 (p.461). University Press. 1907. http://books.google.com/books?id=76cFAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA461&lpg=PA461&dq=Galician+Diet&source=bl&ots=_UJLH-unCy&sig=XECshwnsKt96UB4x4qTTAlR4DpU&hl=en&ei=faedSrWnK5ie8QbApLmpAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7#v=onepage&q=Galician%20Diet&f=false.