Andrzej Duda granted the promotions at a ceremony in the presidential palace on Wednesday morning, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Also in attendance were Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak and upper-house Speaker Tomasz Grodzki, among other officials.
The president promoted seven land forces officers to general and one navy officer to counter admiral, the PAP news agency reported.
In his speech, Duda noted that the event marked the start of celebrations of the 232nd anniversary of the adoption of Poland’s landmark constitution of May 3, 1791.
For this reason, May 3 is Poland’s Constitution Day, the PAP news agency reported.
The president described May 3, 1791 as “one of the most important days in our history.”
The head of state told the newly appointed generals: “Gentlemen, you represent the Polish Army, to whom the nation is grateful for your readiness to defend the Republic of Poland.”
‘Polish army is the shield of the nation’
Duda added that “in the Constitution of May 3, 1791, the Polish army was called the shield of the nation.“
The president stated: “In words that remain relevant to this day, the Constitution of May 3, 1791 said that the army must defend the nation and ensure security, while the nation must provide its soldiers with gratitude and support.”
After the event at the presidential palace, a religious service was held at St. John’s Basilica in the Polish capital, with the head of state and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda among those taking part.
Later in the day, Duda was expected to make a speech during state ceremonies at the Polish capital’s Castle Square.
Poland’s Constitution Day
May 3 is a public holiday in Poland that celebrates a historic constitution the country’s legislators adopted on May 3, 1791.
Poles proudly point out that the progressive document was the first modern constitution in Europe and the second worldwide, after the American Constitution, which was created in 1787.
The pioneering Polish constitution is described by historians as one of the proudest achievements in Polish history, with many saying that the constitution’s provisions – if put into practice – would have changed the course of the nation’s history.
But reforms and liberties proposed in the document – including religious tolerance and the separation of powers – were viewed with suspicion in neighbouring countries, especially in light of the French Revolution raging at the time.
The Polish reforms were seen as a threat to the European status quo by Russia, Austria and Prussia, historians say, and the adoption of the constitution hastened the dismemberment of Poland by these countries.
After a series of partitions, Poland in 1795 lost its sovereignty for 123 years. It re-emerged as an independent state on November 11, 1918, the day World War I ended.
Poland marks Constitution Day on May 3, while November 11 is Independence Day, commemorating the anniversary of the restoration of Poland's sovereignty.
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Source: PAP, prezydent.pl, tvp.info