Lech Aleksander Kaczyński is the President of the
Republic of PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, a politician of the party
Prawo i SprawiedliwośćLaw and Justice Law and Justice Law and Justice (Polish: (PiS) is a national conservative Polish political party.The party was established in 2001, by the Kaczyński twins, Lech, the current President of Poland, and Jarosław, current party chairman...
(Law and Justice, PiS). Kaczyński served as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005, the day before his presidential inauguration. He is the identical twin brother of the former Prime Minister of Poland and current Chairman of the
Law and JusticeLaw and Justice Law and Justice Law and Justice (Polish: (PiS) is a national conservative Polish political party.The party was established in 2001, by the Kaczyński twins, Lech, the current President of Poland, and Jarosław, current party chairman...
party, Jarosław Kaczyński.
Early life
Lech Kaczyński was born in
ŻoliborzŻoliborz is one of the northern boroughs of the city of Warsaw. It is located directly to the north of the City Centre, on the left bank of the Vistula river. It has approximately 50,000 inhabitants and is one of the smallest boroughs of Warsaw....
,
WarsawWarsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River roughly from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains. Its population as of 2009 was estimated at 1,709,781, and the Warsaw metropolitan area at approximately 2,785,000...
, the son of Rajmund (an engineer who served as a soldier of the
Armia KrajowaThe Armia Krajowa , abbreviated "AK", was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and a veteran of the
Warsaw UprisingThe Warsaw Uprising was a struggle by the Polish Home Army to liberate Warsaw from Nazi German occupation during World War II. The Uprising began on 1 August 1944, as part of a nationwide rebellion, Operation Tempest. It was intended to last for only a few days until the Soviet Army reached the...
) and Jadwiga (a philologist at the
Polish Academy of SciencesThe Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
). As a child, he starred in a 1962 Polish film,
The Two Who Stole the MoonThe Two Who Stole the Moon is a 1962 Polish children's film based on Kornel Makuszyński's 1928 story The Two Who Stole the Moon. The film stars two of the country's future political leaders....
(Polish title
O dwóch takich, co ukradli księżyc) with his twin brother Jarosław.
Lech Kaczyński is a graduate of law and administration of Warsaw University. In 1980 he was awarded his
PhDPHD may refer to:* Parisada Hindu Dharma, an Indonesian reform organization* PHD, a track on The Crystal Method album Tweekend* PHD finger, a protein sequence* PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company...
by
Gdańsk University- History :University of Gdańsk in Gdańsk was established in 1970 by the amalgamation of the Higher School of Economics in Sopot and Gdańsk College of Education .- School Authorities :* Rector: Prof. dr hab. Bernard Lammek...
. In 1990 he had his
habilitationHabilitation is the highest academic qualification a person can achieve by their own pursuit in certain European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a person can achieve by their own pursuit in certain European and...
in
labour and employment lawLabor law is the body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which address the legal rights of, and restrictions on, working people and their organizations. As such, it mediates many aspects of the relationship between trade unions, employers and employees...
. He later assumed
professorThe meaning of the word professor varies. In some English-speaking countries, it refers to a senior academic who holds a departmental chair, especially as head of the department, or a personal chair awarded specifically to that individual...
ial positions at
Gdańsk University- History :University of Gdańsk in Gdańsk was established in 1970 by the amalgamation of the Higher School of Economics in Sopot and Gdańsk College of Education .- School Authorities :* Rector: Prof. dr hab. Bernard Lammek...
and
Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in WarsawCardinal Stefan Wyszyński University is a state university in Warsaw. It was founded 1999, named after Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński.-History:...
.
Marriage and family
He is married to an economist
Maria KaczyńskaMaria Kaczyńska is the wife of Lech Kaczyński, the current President of Poland. Maria Kaczyńska attended primary and secondary schools in Rabka Zdrój in southern Poland. She studied transport economics and foreign trade in Sopot...
(born 1943) and has one daughter, Marta (born 1980) who graduated from the Department of Law at Gdańsk University. Marta is married and in 2003 she gave birth to her daughter, Ewa.
Mr. and Mrs. Kaczyński are animal lovers. They have two dogs and two cats.
" Opposition to Communism
In the 1970s Lech Kaczyński was an activist in the pro-democratic anti-Communist movement in Poland,
Workers' Defence CommitteeThe Workers’ Defence Committee was a Polish civil society group that emerged under communist rule to give aid to prisoners detained after labor strikes in 1976 and their families...
, as well as the Independent Trade Union movement. In August, 1980, he became an adviser to the
Inter-Enterprise Strike CommitteeInter-Enterprise Strike Committee was an action strike committee formed in Gdańsk Shipyard, People's Republic of Poland on 16 August 1980...
in the
Gdańsk ShipyardGdańsk Shipyard is a large Polish shipyard, located in the city of Gdańsk. The yard gained international fame when Solidarity was founded there in September 1980...
and the
SolidaritySolidarity is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa.Solidarity was the first non-Communist-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country...
movement. During the
martial lawMartial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush the political opposition against the Communist rule in Poland...
introduced by the communists in December, 1981, he was interned as an
anti-socialist element. After his release from internment, he returned to trade union activities, becoming a member of the underground Solidarity.
When
SolidaritySolidarity is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa.Solidarity was the first non-Communist-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country...
was legalized again in the late 1980s, Lech Kaczyński was an active adviser of Lech Wałęsa and his
Komitet Obywatelski SolidarnośćThe Solidarity Citizens' Committee , also known as "Citizens' Electoral Committee" , previously named "Citizens' Committee with Lech Wałęsa" was an legal political organisation of the democratic opposition in communist Poland...
in 1988. From February to April, 1989, he participated in Polish Round Table talks.
Porozumienie Centrum
Kaczyński was elected a
senatorThe Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament. It consists of 100 senators elected by universal ballot and is headed by the Marshal of the Senate .-History:...
in the elections of June 1989, and became the vice-chairman of Solidarity trade union
NSZZ SolidarnośćSolidarity is a Polish trade union federation founded in September 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, and originally led by Lech Wałęsa.Solidarity was the first non-Communist-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country...
. In the
1991 parliamentary electionThe Polish parliamentary election in 1991 to the Sejm and the Senate of Poland was held on October 27. In the Sejm elections, 27,517,280 citizens were eligible to vote, 11,887,949 of them cast their votes, 11,218,602 of those were counted as valid. In the Senate elections, 43.2% of citizens cast...
, he was elected to the parliament as a non-party member. He was, however, supported by the electoral committee
Center Civic AllianceCenter Civic Alliance , an electoral alliance of several Polish parties initiated and led by Porozumienie Centrum. Other members, as Forum Ludowo-Chrześcijańskie "Ojcowizna" and Komitety Obywatelskie played a minor role...
, closely related but not identical to the political party
Porozumienie CentrumPorozumienie Centrum was a Polish centrist christian democratic political party. The party rose in 1990 after breaking with Solidarność. Its chairman was Jarosław Kaczyński. In its programme, the PC opposed socialism and was anti-communist...
(
Center Agreement) led by his brother. He was also the main adviser and supporter of Lech Wałęsa when the latter was elected President of Poland in December 1990. Wałęsa nominated Kaczyński to be the Security Minister in the Presidential Chancellery but fired him in 1992 due to a conflict concerning
Jan OlszewskiJan Olszewski is a Polish lawyer and political figure. He is best known for serving as Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland from 1991 to 1992....
's government.
Lech Kaczyński was the President of the Supreme Chamber of Control (Najwyższa Izba Kontroli, NIK) from February 1992 to May 1995 and later Minister of Justice and
Attorney GeneralThe Public Prosecutor General is the top prosecuting officer in Poland. The role is part of the cabinet post of the Minister of Justice. Andrzej Czuma is current Public Prosecutor General of Poland....
in
Jerzy BuzekProfessor Jerzy Buzek is a Polish engineer, academic lecturer and politician. He was the Prime Minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001 and has been a member of the European Parliament since June 13 2004...
's government from June 2000 until his dismissal in July 2001. During this time he was very popular because of his strong stance against
corruptionPolitical corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
.
Law and Justice
In 2001 he founded the conservative political party
Law and JusticeLaw and Justice Law and Justice Law and Justice (Polish: (PiS) is a national conservative Polish political party.The party was established in 2001, by the Kaczyński twins, Lech, the current President of Poland, and Jarosław, current party chairman...
(PiS) party with his brother Jarosław. Lech Kaczyński was the president of the party between 2001 and 2003. His brother Jaroslaw is its current chairman.
Mayor of Warsaw
In 2002, Lech Kaczyński was elected the mayor of Warsaw by a large margin. He started his term in office by declaring a war on corruption. He strongly supported the construction of the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising and in 2004 appointed a historical panel to estimate material losses that were inflicted upon the city by the Germans in the Second World War (an estimated 85% of the city was destroyed in the
Warsaw UprisingThe Warsaw Uprising was a struggle by the Polish Home Army to liberate Warsaw from Nazi German occupation during World War II. The Uprising began on 1 August 1944, as part of a nationwide rebellion, Operation Tempest. It was intended to last for only a few days until the Soviet Army reached the...
) as a direct response to heightened claims coming from
German expellees from PolandBy the end of World War II, most of the German population fled or was expelled from areas outside the territory of post-war Germany and post-war Austria, including:...
. The panel estimated the losses to be at least 45.3 billion
euroThe euro is the official currency of 16 of the 27 Member States of the European Union . The states, known collectively as the Eurozone, are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain...
s ($54 billion) in current value. He also promoted currently under construction museum of Polish Jews in Warsaw by donating city land to the project.
Kaczyński banned the Warsaw
gay movement paradePride parades for the LGBT community are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender culture. The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage...
in 2004 and 2005, locally known as the Parada Równości, stating the lack of necessary documentation by organisers as the reason but also saying the parade would promote a "homosexual lifestyle". He also cited as reasons for the ban security measures, it being offensive to public morals and the fact that the parade coincided with the unveiling of a monument to general
Tadeusz Bór-KomorowskiGeneral Count Tadeusz Komorowski , better known by the name Bór-Komorowski was a Polish military leader....
. In 2004 his opponents called his actions
unconstitutionalConstitutionality is the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or guidelines set forth in the applicable constitution. When one of these directly violates the constitution it is unconstitutional...
and he has been repeatedly criticised by the Mazowieckie voivodeship administration, which officially supervises the Mayor of Warsaw. In 2005, he allowed a counter-demonstration, the "Parade of Normality."
In 2007, Poland, represented by Lech Kaczyński, was found guilty by the
European Court of Human RightsThe European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is an international judicial body established under the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950 to monitor respect of human rights by states...
of violation the
freedom of assemblyFreedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests...
under Article 11 of the
European Convention on Human RightsThe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms , was adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe in 1950 to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Europe...
.
Presidential elections
see:
Polish presidential election, 2005Presidential elections were held in Poland on October 9 and October 23, 2005. The outgoing President of Poland, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, had served two five-year terms and was unable to stand for a third term....
On 19 March 2005, he formally declared his intention to run for president in the October 2005 election.
Elected President of the Republic of Poland were he defeated runner up
Donald TuskDonald Franciszek Tusk is a center-right Polish politician, co-founder and chairman of the Civic Platform , and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland....
, polling 54.04 percent of the vote, Kaczyński assumed the office on 23 December 2005 by taking an oath before the National Assembly.
Domestic policy
In his first public speech as president-elect, Kaczyński said his presidency would have the fundamental task
amelioration of the Republic. This will consist of "purging various pathologies from our life, most prominently including crime (...), particularly criminal corruption – that entire, great rush to obtain unjust enrichment, a rush that is poisoning society, [and preventing the state from ensuring] elementary social security, health security, basic conditions for the development of the family [and] the security of commerce and the basic conditions for economic development.
During his inauguration he stated several goals he would pursue during his presidency. Among those concerning internal affairs were: increasing social solidarity in Poland, bringing justice to those who were responsible or affected by communist crimes in the
People's Republic of PolandThe Polish People's Republic was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990.Although the Polish People's Republic was a sovereign state as defined by international law, its leaders were at the very least approved by the Kremlin...
, fighting
corruptionIn criminology, corporate crime refers to crimes committed either by a corporation , or by individuals that may be identified with a corporation or other business entity .Note that some forms of corporate corruption may not...
, providing security in economy, and safety for development of family. Kaczyński also stated that he would seek to abolish differences between regions. In his speech he also put emphasis on combining modernisation with
traditionThe word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem, acc. of traditio which means "handing over, passing on", and is used in a number of ways in the English language:...
and remembering the teachings of
PopeThe pope is the Bishop of Rome and, as such, is leader of the worldwide Catholic Church...
John Paul II.
On December 21, 2008, Lech Kaczyński became the first Polish head of state to visit a Polish
synagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer....
for a religious service. His attendance coincided with the first night of
HanukkahHanukkah , also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE...
.
Presidential pardons
In the years 2005-2007, as per article 133 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, president Lech Kaczyński has pardoned 77 people and declined to pardon 550.
Foreign affairs
In
foreign affairsForeign Affairs is an American magazine on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
, President Kaczyński noted that many of Poland's problems were related to the lack of
energy securityAccess to cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven distribution of energy supplies among countries has led to significant vulnerabilities...
and this issue would have to be resolved in order to protect Polish interests. Strengthening ties with the USA while continuing to develop relations within the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
are two main goals of Polish foreign affairs, as well as improving relations with
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
despite several problems in the relations with the latter.
Outside those issues, the main tasks include developing a visible strategic partnership with
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
and greater cooperation with the Baltic states and
GeorgiaGeorgia Georgia Georgia is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Situated at the juncture of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the east by Azerbaijan...
.
Defense Minister Radosław Sikorski compared the planned Russia to Germany gas pipeline to the infamous Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and Foreign minister Anna Fotyga stated that the pipeline was a threat to Poland's energy security.
In November 2006 Helsinki European Union—Russia meeting Poland vetoed the launch of EU-Russia partnership talks due to Russian ban on Polish meat and plant products imports.
As a reaction to claims by an obscure German exile group Preussische Treuhand, which represents post-1945 German expellees from Eastern Europe, the Polish Foreign Minister Fotyga (a protégé of Kaczyński) mistakenly threatened to reopen a 1990 Treaty fixing the Oder and Neisse rivers as the border between the two countries instead of the Neighborhood Treaty signed in the same year.
In 2008 following the military conflict between Russia and Georgia, Lech Kaczyński has provided the website of the President of Poland for dissemination of information for blocked by the Russian Federation Georgian internet portals.
During the state visit to
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
in 2009 Kaczyński said that the Polish government, on the basis of its constitutional competences, decided to recognize
KosovoKosovo is a disputed territory in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo , a self-declared independent state which has de facto control over the territory; the exceptions are some Serb enclaves...
and emphasized that he, as the President of the state, did not agree with that.
External links
/
Official site http://www.polskieradio.pl/jedynka/news.aspx?iID=7265
- Strong and Moral State: Lech Kaczynski Speaks on His Presidential Plans
- Lech Kaczynski – The Head of the Capital Ready to Head the State
- The Times
The Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register....
: New Polish leader finds demons lurking at home and abroad
- The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in an office in the City of Westminster, London. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843. While The Economist calls itself a...
: Twins together, Poles apart
- Jewish Currents
Jewish Currents is a progressive, secular Jewish bimonthly magazine that carries on the insurgent tradition of the Jewish left through independent journalism, political commentary, and a "countercultural" approach to Jewish arts and literature. Now in its 60th year of publication, J.C...
: The Return of the Radical Right in Poland Fundacja BatoregoThe Stefan Batory Foundation is the name of the national Soros Foundation in Poland. It was named after Stephen Báthory of Poland, the 16th-century Polish king....
: Wykład Lecha Kaczyńskiego, 19 September 2005 WprostWprost is a weekly newsmagazine in Poland. It was founded on December 5, 1982 as a regional magazine in Greater Poland, but since 1989 it has been distributed nationwide. The editorial office is currently located in Warsaw. Wprost is an opinion weekly focused on politics and society...
: Sylwetka
- BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
profile: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1054681.stm
- The Guardian
The Guardian is a British daily newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Founded in 1821, it is unique among major British newspapers in being owned by a foundation .The Guardian Weekly, which circulates worldwide, provides a compact digest of four newspapers...
: Polish leader's anti-gay stance threatens EU voting rights - 25 October 2005 WP.pl:About Independence
- Kaczynski Brothers: Movie Stars That Turned Politicians
- President to Welcome Polish President Lech Kaczynski to the White House
- IISS by H.E. Lech Kaczyński, President of the Republic of Poland
- GW:Kaczyński prezydentem
- US Congartulation
- With USA Vc-president
- The Polish President Lech Kaczyński visited the United States (8-11 February 2006).
- Visit in Ukraina
- Raport ws. żołnierzy WSI będzie jawny - Wojskowe Służby Informacyjne
- Lithuanian president in Warsaw
- Poland supports Turkish EU entry
- Poland hopes for complete pullout from Iraq by end 2007