EN
Following the downfall of communist rule in 1989, most countries in Central and Eastern Europe promptly adopted new constitutions. In Poland, however, the constitutional debate consumed eight years. The paper aims at exploring the still relevant question whether the constitutional process should proceed more vigorously so that legal foundations of the newly restored democratic state could be laid right after the systemic change. It is argued that protracting disputes eventually allowed for adopting a constitution based on a broad consensus, thus contributed to a long-term political stability of the country.