Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Aleksander Kwaśniewski | |
|---|---|
Kwaśniewski in 2012 | |
| 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 |
| Member of Sejm | |
| In office 4 June 1989 – 23 December 1995 | |
| 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 |
Jolanta Konty (m. 1979) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Gdańsk (Did not graduate) |
| Awards | See list |
| Signature | |
Aleksander Kwaśniewski (Polish pronunciation: [alɛˈksandɛr kfaˈɕɲɛfskʲi] ⓘ; born 15 November 1954) is a Polish politician and journalist who served as the third president of Poland from 1995 to 2005.[1]
Kwaśniewski served as a minister in the communist government during the 1980s, and later led the post-communist 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. In 1995, he was elected to the presidency, defeating the incumbent, Lech Wałęsa, and was re-elected in 2000 in a decisive first-round victory. His presidency was marked by modernization of Poland, rapid economic growth (Poland's GDP doubled in ten years), the drafting of a new constitution (1997), and the accession of Poland to NATO (1999) and the European Union (2004).[2][3] In 2004, he brokered a pro-democratic agreement during the Orange Revolution in Ukraine.[4][5]
According to a 2020 poll conducted by Rzeczpospolita, Kwaśniewski was considered the best president in the post-1989 history of Poland by a plurality of Poles, albeit tied with the two PiS presidents, Andrzej Duda and Lech Kaczyński respectively, taken together.[6]
- ^ "Aleksander Kwasniewski | Biography, Presidency, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
- ^ "GDP, current prices | Billions of U.S. dollars". www.imf.org. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "Aleksander Kwasniewski | Biography, Presidency, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "European Mediators and Ukraine's Orange Revolution". www.wilsoncenter.org. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ ""For our freedom and yours"". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
- ^ "Sondaż dla "Rzeczpospolitej": Aleksander Kwaśniewski najlepszym prezydentem w historii" [Poll for "Rzeczpospolita": Aleksander Kwaśniewski is the best president in history.]. Onet Wiadomości (in Polish). 2 February 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2023.