The post of President of Poland appeared in 1922, after the country gained independence as a result of the 1918 Brest Treaty. The Second World War and the establishment of the communist regime destroyed the republic. Subsequently, until 1990, the post of President of Poland belonged to exiled politicians. When the communist system in Poland fell, republican institutions were restored. The presidents of Poland began to be elected again, which is being done today.
The formation of Polish democracy
The first modern president of Poland was Lech Walesa. Under communist rule, he worked at a shipyard in Gdansk. There, the future politician created a union, which defended the interests of employees of the enterprise. The movement was called "Solidarity."
The communist government did not like this activity. When the economic crisis began in the country in the early 1980s, many dissatisfied workers became supporters of Solidarity. General Wojciech Jaruzelski introduced a state of emergency in Poland and banned the union.
Walesa, as one of the leaders of this movement, was briefly arrested. The situation in the country changed with the beginning of perestroika in the USSR. In 1988, Polish workers staged a mass strike. The communists made concessions to the population. The first free elections to the Senate were held, at which Solidarity won almost all the seats. Finally, in 1990, the Communists were removed from power. The democratic state institutions that exist in the country today have begun to form.
Lech Walesa
Then Walesa decided to participate in the presidential election. He was extremely popular in his homeland as a human rights activist. His work was also appreciated by the international community. In 1983, Walesa received the Nobel Peace Prize.
As a result, it was he who won the election. The former president of Poland held office until 1995, when he lost to Alexander Kwasniewski in the next election in the second round.
Alexander Kwasniewski
The modern presidents of Poland could not stay in office for more than one term. The only exception to this rule is Alexander Kwasniewski. He led the country from 1995 to 2005. Under communist rule, he served for some time as chairman of the Polish Olympic Committee. In the early 90s, Kwasniewski was elected as a deputy of the Sejm, where he became a well-known public politician.
Kwasniewski was the initiator of the country's accession to the European Union and the NATO military bloc. It was foreign policy slogans that allowed him to be re-elected 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 80s, Lech was a lawyer who assisted one of the strike committees in Gdansk. He was later 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 Warsaw. The politician, together with his twin brother Yaroslav, created the Law and Justice party.
In 2005, Lech Kaczynski won the presidential election. He received support from the conservative part of society. The deceased president of Poland became known throughout the world for his tragic fate. In 2010, he went by plane to Russia, where events dedicated to the Katyn execution were to take place. It was one of the most shameful pages in the history of the USSR. On the eve of World War II , the 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 massacre leaked out.
The presidents of Poland did a lot so that this tragedy would not be forgotten both in Poland and in Russia. Lech Kaczynski went to Smolensk to visit the Katyn Memorial. The large delegation on board the aircraft included the entire political and military elite of the country. Tu-154 crashed shortly before its landing due to poor visibility.
Bronislaw Komorowski
After the death of Kaczynski, Bronislav Komarovsky was elected to a vacant post. The Polish president went to the 2010 elections on behalf of the Civic Platform party, which was opposed to the country's previous political course.
Komorowski during the years of communist rule was known as an active dissident and opponent of the regime. He published an underground periodical, which was popular with readers. Komarovsky spent a month in prison for his activities. After that, he became a teacher and for many years, until the establishment of democracy, he worked in a small seminary.
In the early 2000s, Bronislaw Komarovsky 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 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. The 43-year-old native of Krakow represents a new young generation of Polish politicians. He is a member of the Law and Justice party, founded by the Kaczynski brothers.
Former and future Presidents of Poland Komorowski and Duda until the last fought for power among themselves in the 2015 elections. Andrzej defeated the opponent only in the second round, receiving only 51% of the vote, while the opponent - 48%.