Contemporary Presidents of Poland

The post of the president of Poland appeared in 1922, after the country gained independence as a result of the Treaty of Brest in 1918. The Second World War and the establishment of the communist regime destroyed the republic. Later, until 1990, the post of President of Poland belonged to politicians who were in exile. When the communist system in the NDP fell, the republican institutions were restored. The presidents of Poland have again started to be elected, which is being done today.

Formation of Polish democracy

The first modern president of Poland was Lech Walesa. Under communist rule, he worked at a shipyard in Gdansk. In the same place, the future politician created a trade union that defended the interests of the employees of the enterprise. The movement was called "Solidarity".

The Communist government did not like this activity. When the economic crisis began in the early 80s, many dissatisfied workers became supporters of Solidarity. General Wojciech Jaruzelski introduced a state of emergency in Poland and banned the trade union.

He was briefly arrested as one of the leaders of this movement. The situation in the country changed with the beginning of perestroika in the USSR. In 1988, the Polish workers staged a mass strike. The Communists made concessions to the population. The first free elections to the Senate were held, in which Solidarity received almost all seats. Finally, in 1990, the Communists were removed from power. Democratic state institutions began to be formed, which exist in the country today.

Lech Walesa

At the same time Valensa decided to participate in the presidential elections. He was extremely popular in his homeland as a fighter for human rights. His activities were evaluated by the international community. In 1983, Walesa won the Nobel Peace Prize.

As a result, he won the elections. The former president of Poland was in his post until 1995, when he lost to Alexander Kwasniewski during the next elections in the second round.

Alexander Kwasniewski

The modern Polish presidents could not hold on to their posts for more than one term. The only exception in this rule is Alexander Kwasniewski. He led the country from 1995 to 2005. Under communist rule, he served as chairman of the Polish Olympic Committee for some time. In the early 90's Kwasniewski was elected a deputy of the Seimas, where he became a well-known public politician.

Kwasniewski was the initiator of the country's accession to the European Union and NATO's military bloc. It was the foreign policy slogans that enabled him to be reelected for a second term. Integration with the European economy allowed Poland to embark on a new path of development.

Lech Kaczynski

Kaczynski, like Walesa, became known for his activities in the ranks of the Solidarity trade union. In the early 80's, Leh was a lawyer who helped one of the strike committees in Gdansk. Later he was arrested by the communist authorities.

When Poland became democratic, Kaczynski began an active political career. He was the Minister of Justice, as well as the mayor of the capital of the country of Warsaw. The politician together with his twin brother Yaroslav created the party "Law and Justice".

In 2005, Lech Kaczynski won the presidential election. He received support from the conservative part of society. The lost president of Poland became known to the whole world for his tragic fate. In 2010, he flew to Russia on an airplane, where events dedicated to the Katyn massacre were to be held. It was one of the most shameful pages in the history of the USSR. On the eve of the Great Patriotic War , NKVD officers shot many officers of the Polish army. The Soviet authorities denied the fact of this crime, but during the perestroika, truthful information about the violence leaked out.

The Presidents of Poland did much to prevent this tragedy from being forgotten both in Poland and in Russia. Lech Kaczynski went to Smolensk to visit the Katyn Memorial. A large delegation on board the aircraft included the entire political and military elite of the country. Tu-154 crashed shortly before landing because of poor visibility.

Bronislaw Komorowski

After the death of Kaczynski, Bronislaw Komarovsky was elected to the vacant post. The President of Poland went to the 2010 elections on behalf of the "Civil Platform" party, which was opposed to the previous political course of the country.

Komorowski during the years of communist power was known as an active dissident and opponent of the regime. He published an underground periodical, which was popular with readers. For his work, Komarovsky spent a month in prison. After that, he became a teacher and for many years, until the establishment of democracy, he worked in a small seminary.

At the beginning of the zero years Bronislaw Komarowski served as Minister of National Defense. On the eve of his election as president, he was also the marshal of the Polish Sejm. After the sudden death of Kaczynski, it was Komorowski who took up the temporary position of the acting head of state.

Andrzej Duda

Andrzej Duda is the current president of Poland. He took office on August 6, 2015. A 43-year-old native of Krakow represents a new young generation of Polish politicians. He is a member of the party "Law and Justice", founded by the Kaczynski brothers.

The former and future presidents of Poland Komorowski and Duda struggled to power until the last in the 2015 elections. Andrzej defeated the opponent only in the second round, receiving only 51% of the vote, while the opponent - 48%.