Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Aleksander Kwaśniewski (Polish pronunciation: [alɛˈksandɛr kfaɕˈɲiefskʲi] ⓘ; born 15 November 1954) is a Polish politician and journalist. He served as the president of Poland from 1995 to 2005. His tenure as President was marked by modernization of Poland, rapid economic growth (Poland's GDP has doubled in ten years), the drafting of a new Polish Constitution (1997), and the accession of Poland to NATO (1999) and the European Union (2004). In 2004, he brokered a pro-democratic agreement during the Orange Revolution in Ukraine.
Aleksander Kwaśniewski | |
|---|---|
Kwaśniewski in 2005 | |
| President of Poland | |
| In office 23 December 1995 – 23 December 2005 | |
| Prime Minister | Józef Oleksy Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz Jerzy Buzek Leszek Miller Marek Belka Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz |
| Preceded by | Lech Wałęsa |
| Succeeded by | Lech Kaczyński |
| Leader of the Social Democracy | |
| In office 30 January 1990 – 23 December 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Józef Oleksy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 November 1954 Białogard, Poland |
| Political party | Independent (1995–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Polish United Workers' Party (1977–1990) Social Democracy (1990–1995) Democratic Left Alliance (1991–1995) Left and Democrats (2007) Europa Plus (2014) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Aleksandra Kwaśniewska |
| Alma mater | University of Gdańsk (Did not graduate) |
| Awards | See list |
| Signature | |
| Website | Official website |
He was born in Białogard, attended the University of Gdańsk, and served as the Minister of Sport in the communist government during the 1980s. After the fall of Communism, he became a leader of the centre-left Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland, a successor to the former ruling Polish United Workers' Party, and a co-founder of the Democratic Left Alliance.
Kwaśniewski was elected to the presidency in 1995, defeating the incumbent, Lech Wałęsa. He was re-elected to a second and final term as President in 2000 in a decisive first-round victory. In line with a constitutional limit of two terms, his second term ended on 23 December 2005. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Rzeczpospolita, Kwaśniewski was considered the best president in post-1989 history of Poland.