Aleksander Kwaśniewski
| Aleksander Kwaśniewski | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| 3rd President of Poland | |
|
In office 23 December 1995 – 23 December 2005 |
|
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Lech Wałęsa |
| Succeeded by | Lech Kaczyński |
| Leader of 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) |
| Spouse(s) | Jolanta Konty |
| Children | Aleksandra Kwaśniewska |
| Alma mater | University of Gdańsk |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
Aleksander Kwaśniewski (Polish pronunciation: [alɛˈksandɛr kfaɕˈɲɛfskʲi]; born 15 November 1954) is a Polish politician and journalist. He served as the President of Poland from 1995 to 2005. He was born in Białogard, and during communist rule he was active in the Socialist Union of Polish Students and was the Minister for Sport in the communist government in the 1980s. After the fall of communism he became a leader of the left-wing Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland, successor to the former ruling Polish United Workers' Party, and a co-founder of the Democratic Left Alliance.
Kwaśniewski was democratically elected president 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. His term ended on 23 December 2005, when he handed over power to his elected successor, conservative Lech Kaczyński.
In the years 1973 to 1977, Kwaśniewski studied transport economics and foreign trade at the University of Gdańsk, though he never graduated. He became politically active at this time, and joined the ruling communist Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) in 1977, remaining a member until it was dissolved in 1990. An activist in the communist student movement until 1982, he held, among other positions, the chairmanship of the University Council of the Socialist Union of Polish Students (SZSP) from 1976 to 1977 and the vice-chairmanship of the Gdańsk Voivodship Union from 1977 to 1979. Kwaśniewski was a member of the SZSP supreme authorities from 1977 to 1982. From November 1981 to February 1984 he was the editor-in-chief of the communist controlled student weekly ITD, then editor-in-chief of the daily communist youth Sztandar Młodych from 1984 to 1985. He was a co-founder of the first computer-science periodical in Poland, Bajtek, in 1985.
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