Saturday, 10 April 2010

Lech Kaczyński

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Lech Aleksander Kaczyński

In office
23 December 2005 – 10 April 2010
Prime MinisterKazimierz Marcinkiewicz
Jarosław Kaczyński
Donald Tusk
Preceded byAleksander Kwaśniewski
Succeeded byBronisław Komorowski (as Acting President)
In office
12 June 2000 – 4 July 2001
Prime MinisterJerzy Buzek
Preceded byHanna Suchocka
Succeeded byStanisław Iwanicki
In office
18 November 2002 – 22 December 2005
Preceded byWojciech Kozak
Succeeded byMirosław Kochalski
In office
1992–1995
Preceded byWalerian Pańko
Succeeded byJanusz Wojciechowski
BornJune 18, 1949
Warsaw, Poland
DiedApril 10, 2010 (aged 60)
near Smolensk-North air base,Smolensk Oblast, Russia[1]
Political partyIndependent (2006–2010)
Law and Justice (2001–2006)
Spouse(s)Maria Kaczyńska
ProfessionLawyer
ReligionRoman Catholic

Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (Polish pronunciation: [ˈlɛx alɛˈksandɛr kaˈtʂɨɲskʲi] ( listen); 18 June 1949 – 10 April 2010) was the President of theRepublic of Poland from 2005 to 2010, a politician of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (Law and Justice, PiS). Kaczyński served as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005, the day before his presidential inauguration. He was the identical twin brother of the former Prime Minister of Poland and current Chairman of the Law and Justice party, Jarosław Kaczyński.

On 10 April 2010, he and his wife Maria Kaczyńska died when a Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154 crashed while attempting to land atSmolensk-North airport in Russia. There were no survivors on the plane, which was carrying senior Polish government officials on a trip to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.[2][3]

Contents

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Early life

Kaczyński was born in Żoliborz, Warsaw, the son of Rajmund (an engineer who served as a soldier of the Armia Krajowa in World War II and a veteran of the Warsaw Uprising)[4] and Jadwiga (a philologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences).[5] As a child, he starred in a 1962 Polish film, The Two Who Stole the Moon (Polish title O dwóch takich, co ukradli księżyc) with his twin brother Jarosław.

Lech Kaczyński was a graduate of law and administration of Warsaw University. In 1980 he was awarded his PhD by Gdańsk University. In 1990 he had his habilitation in labour and employment law. He later assumed professorial positions at Gdańsk University and Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw.

Opposition to Communism

In the 1970s Lech Kaczyński was an activist in the pro-democratic anti-Communist movement in Poland, Workers' Defence Committee, as well as the Independent Trade Union movement. In August, 1980, he became an adviser to the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee in theGdańsk Shipyard and the Solidarity movement. During the martial law introduced by the communists in December, 1981, he was interned as an anti-socialist element. After his release from internment, he returned to trade union activities, becoming a member of the underground Solidarity.

When Solidarity was legalized again in the late 1980s, Lech Kaczyński was an active adviser of Lech Wałęsa and his Komitet Obywatelski Solidarność in 1988. From February to April, 1989, he participated in Polish Round Table talks.

Porozumienie Centrum

Kaczyński was elected a senator in the elections of June 1989, and became the vice-chairman of Solidarity trade union NSZZ Solidarność. In the 1991 parliamentary election, he was elected to the parliament as a non-party member. He was, however, supported by the electoral committee Center Civic Alliance, closely related but not identical to the political party Porozumienie Centrum (Center Agreement) led by his brother. He was also the main adviser and supporter of Lech Wałęsa when the latter was elected President of Poland in December 1990. Wałęsa nominated Kaczyński to be the Security Minister in the Presidential Chancellery but fired him in 1992 due to a conflict concerning Jan Olszewski's government.

Lech Kaczyński was the President of the Supreme Chamber of Control (Najwyższa Izba Kontroli, NIK) from February 1992 to May 1995 and later Minister of Justice and Attorney General in Jerzy Buzek's government from June 2000 until his dismissal in July 2001. During this time he was very popular because of his strong stance against corruption.

Law and Justice

In 2001 he founded the conservative political party Law and Justice (PiS) party with his brother Jarosław. Lech Kaczyński was the president of the party between 2001 and 2003. His brother Jaroslaw is its current chairman.

Mayor of Warsaw

In 2002, Lech Kaczyński was elected the mayor of Warsaw by a large margin. He started his term in office by declaring a war on corruption. He strongly supported the construction of theMuseum of the Warsaw Uprising and in 2004 appointed a historical panel to estimate material losses that were inflicted upon the city by the Germans in the Second World War (an estimated 85% of the city was destroyed in the Warsaw Uprising) as a direct response to heightened claims coming from German expellees from Poland. The panel estimated the losses to be at least 45.3 billion euros ($54 billion) in current value. He also promoted the currently under construction museum of Polish Jews in Warsaw by donating city land to the project.

Kaczyński banned the Warsaw gay movement parade in 2004 and 2005, locally known as the Parada Równości, stating the lack of necessary documentation by organisers as the reason but also saying the parade would promote a "homosexual lifestyle".[6] He also cited as reasons for the ban security measures, it being offensive to public morals, and the fact that the parade coincided with the unveiling of a monument to general Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski. In 2004 his opponents called his actions unconstitutional and he has been repeatedly criticised by the Mazowieckie voivodeship administration, which officially supervises the Mayor of Warsaw. In 2005, he allowed a counter-demonstration, the "Parade of Normality."[7]

In 2007, Poland, represented by Lech Kaczyński, was found guilty by the European Court of Human Rights of violation the freedom of assembly under Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights.[8][9][10]

Poland

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Presidency

Presidential elections

Polish presidential election, 2005

On 19 March 2005, he formally declared his intention to run for president in the October 2005 election. Elected President of the Republic of Poland in defeating the runner up Donald Tusk, by polling 54.04 percent of the vote, Kaczyński assumed office on 23 December 2005 by taking an oath before the National Assembly.

Domestic policy

In his first public speech as president-elect, Kaczyński said his presidency would have the fundamental task of the amelioration of the Republic.... Saying that.... This will consist of... "purging various pathologies from our life, most prominently including crime (...), particularly criminal corruption – that entire, great rush to obtain unjust enrichment, a rush that is poisoning society, [and preventing the state from ensuring] elementary social security, health security, basic conditions for the development of the family [and] the security of commerce and the basic conditions for economic development.[11]

During his inauguration he stated several goals he would pursue during his presidency. Among those concerning internal affairs were: increasing social solidarity in Poland, bringing justice to those who were responsible or affected by communist crimes in the People's Republic of Poland, fighting corruption, providing security in economy, and safety for development of family. Kaczyński also stated that he would seek to abolish differences between regions. In his speech he also put emphasis on combining modernisation with tradition and remembering the teachings of Pope John Paul II.

On December 21, 2008, Lech Kaczyński became the first Polish head of state to visit a Polish synagogue for a religious service. His attendance coincided with the first night of Hanukkah.[12]

Presidential pardons

In the years 2005-2007, as per article 133 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, Kaczyński pardoned 77 people and declined to pardon 550.

Foreign affairs

Wiki letter w.svgThis section requires expansion.

In foreign affairs, President Kaczyński noted that many of Poland's problems were related to the lack of energy security and this issue would have to be resolved in order to protect Polish interests. Strengthening ties with the USA while continuing to develop relations within the European Union are two main goals of Polish foreign affairs, as well as improving relations withFrance and Germany despite several problems in relations with the latter. Outside those issues, the main tasks include developing a visible strategic partnership with Ukraine and greater cooperation with the Baltic states and Georgia.

Defense Minister Radosław Sikorski compared the planned Russia to Germany gas pipeline to the infamous Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and Foreign minister Anna Fotyga stated that the pipeline was a threat to Poland's energy security.[13]

In November 2006 Helsinki European Union—Russia meeting Poland vetoed the launch of EU-Russia partnership talks due to Russian ban on Polish meat and plant products imports.[14]

As a reaction to claims by an obscure German exile group Preussische Treuhand, which represents post-1945 German expellees from Eastern Europe, the Polish Foreign Minister Fotyga (a protégé of Kaczyński) mistakenly threatened to reopen a 1990 Treaty fixing the Oder and Neisse rivers as the border between the two countries instead of the Neighborhood Treaty signed in the same year.[15][16]

In 2008 following the military conflict between Russia and Georgia, Lech Kaczyński has provided the website of the President of Poland for dissemination of information for blocked by theRussian Federation Georgian internet portals.

During the state visit to Serbia in 2009 Kaczyński said that the Polish government, on the basis of its constitutional competences, decided to recognize Kosovo and emphasized that he, as the President of the state, did not agree with that.[17]

Marriage and family

He was married to economist Maria Kaczyńska and had one daughter, Marta (born 1980) who graduated from the Department of Law at Gdańsk University.

Death

Main article: 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash

On 10 April 2010 a Tupolev Tu-154 plane carrying President Kaczyński, his wife Maria Kaczyńska and other members of Polish delegation were travelling from Warsaw to commemorate the Katyn massacre and crashed whilst approaching Smolensk Air Base in Russia at 10:56 Eastern European Time (06:56 GMT). The crash occurred in foggy conditions about 1.5 km from the airport. The governor of Smolensk Oblast confirmed for Russia 24 news channel that there were no survivors of the crash.[18]

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev immediately ordered a government commission to investigate the crash. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was placed in charge of the investigation.[19]

96 people were killed in the crash, including some of the country's highest military, and civilian leaders were among the dead. [20]

References

  1. ^ "Polish president killed in plane crash - CNN.com". CNN. 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  2. ^ "Polish President Lech Kaczynski dies in plane crash". BBC News (BBC). Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  3. ^ "Polish President Lech Kaczynski Killed When Plane Crashed On Approach To Smolensk Airport In Russia". Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  4. ^ Rajmund Kaczyñski h. Pomian: genealogia (Potomkowie Sejmu Wielkiego)
  5. ^ Jadwiga Jasiewicz h. Rawicz: genealogia (Potomkowie Sejmu Wielkiego)
  6. ^ "BBC News: Gay marchers ignore ban in Warsaw". 11 June 2005. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Pinknews: Anti-gay Warsaw Mayor, Lech Kaczynski, wins Polish Presidential election".
  8. ^ Polish gay activists win human rights case
  9. ^ ""CASE OF BĄCZKOWSKI AND OTHERS v. POLAND, Verdict". Page 31". Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  10. ^ "whole text of the judgement (en)". Retrieved 24 July 2009.
  11. ^ "Speech of the president-elect on his official webpage".
  12. ^ Associated Press.Polish president visits synagogue for Hanukkah. accessed and written 21 Dec. 2008.
  13. ^ "ENERGY DELIVERIES -- Gas Diplomacy" (in en). The Warsaw Voice. 2006-06-07. Retrieved 2006-01-16.
  14. ^ "EU Divided After Poland’s Veto Hosts Russia’s Putin at Summit" (in en). MosNews. 2006-11-24. Retrieved 2006-01-16.
  15. ^ "Poles Angered by German WWII Compensation Claims" (in en). Spiegel Online. 2006-12-18. Retrieved 2006-01-16.
  16. ^ "Furious Poland Threatens to Re-Open German Border Treaty" (in en). Spiegel Online. 2006-12-19. Retrieved 2006-01-16.
  17. ^ TALKS TADIC – KACINSKY
  18. ^ "Polish president feared dead in Russian plane crash". Reuters. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  19. ^ President of Poland Died (Погиб президент Польши) - Vesti.ru
  20. ^ [http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/10/polish-presidents-plane-crashes-russia/

External links

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Political offices
Preceded by
Walerian Pańko		President of the Supreme Chamber of Control
1992–1995		Succeeded by
Janusz Wojciechowski
Preceded by
Hanna Suchocka		Minister of Justice
2000–2001		Succeeded by
Stanisław Iwanicki
Preceded by
Wojciech Kozak		President of Warsaw
2002–2005		Succeeded by
Mirosław Kochalski
Acting
Preceded by
Aleksander Kwaśniewski		President of Poland
2005–2010		Succeeded by
Bronisław Komorowski
Acting


Posted by Britannia Radio at 15:53