This is a list of all presidents of Poland from 1989 till date, Including their terms In office, and political affiliations:
President | Term Start | Term End | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
Wojciech Jaruzelski | 19 July 1989 | 22 December 1990 | Polish United Workers' Party |
Lech Wałęsa | 22 December 1990 | 22 December 1995 | Solidarity Citizens' Committee |
Aleksander Kwaśniewski | 23 December 1995 | 23 December 2005 | Democratic Left Alliance |
Lech Kaczyński | 23 December 2005 | 10 April 2010 | Law and Justice |
Bronisław Komorowski | 10 April 2010 | 8 July 2010 | Civic Platform |
Bogdan Borusewicz | 8 July 2010 | 8 July 2010 | Civic Platform |
Grzegorz Schetyna | 8 July 2010 | 6 August 2010 | Civic Platform |
Bronisław Komorowski | 6 August 2010 | 6 August 2015 | Civic Platform |
Andrzej Duda | 6 August 2015 | Incumbent | Law and Justice |
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Who Was Poland’s First President?
Gabriel Narutowicz was Poland’s first president, who was elected on December 11, 1922. Sadly, his time as president was very short because he was killed on December 16, 1922.
Narutowicz’s presidency happened after Poland became a free country again following World War I. However, Narutowicz was born on March 17, 1865, into a noble family in the Suwałki region.
Narutowicz studied engineering and became known for his work in hydrotechnics, which involved building things like dams and water systems.
He studied in Switzerland and later worked as a professor at the Warsaw University of Technology. Narutowicz was involved in many big projects to improve infrastructure, such as dams and waterworks.
After Poland regained its independence in 1918, Narutowicz started his political career. He joined the Polish National Committee and later became the Minister of Public Works in the new government.
When Narutowicz ran for president, he had the support of the Polish People’s Party and other left-leaning groups. His election was a result of different political groups coming together to help stabilize the new nation.
Yet, not everyone was happy with him becoming president. Nationalist and conservative groups opposed him because they saw him as an outsider and a representative of the left.
On December 16, 1922, just five days after becoming president, Narutowicz was assassinated by Eligiusz Niewiadomski.
Niewiadomski was a painter and a nationalist who did not support Narutowicz. The assassination happened during an art exhibition in Warsaw, and it shocked the entire country.
Even though Narutowicz was president for only a few days, his time in office was important for Poland. His election was a step towards democratic governance.
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Who Was The longest-serving President Of Poland?
The longest-serving President of Poland was Ignacy Mościcki. He served the office from 1926 to 1939, making his time in power 13 years.
Mościcki was born on December 1, 1867, in Mierzanów, Poland, and he was a notable chemist and politician. His path to the presidency was closely linked to Józef Piłsudski, a powerful figure in Polish politics.
In May 1926, Piłsudski led a coup d’état. This coup brought Mościcki to power shortly after. However, he officially became president in June 1926 and was re-elected in 1933.
When Mościcki became president, Poland was going through a tough time. There was a lot of political unrest and economic problems.
Mościcki’s presidency was closely aligned with Piłsudski’s regime, which was more authoritarian. During his presidency, Mościcki focused on modernizing Poland.
He worked on industrialization and infrastructure development, which are ways to improve factories, roads, and buildings. After Piłsudski died in 1935, Mościcki’s political stance became more liberal.
However, he still faced many challenges from different political groups in Poland. Mościcki’s time as president ended suddenly when World War II started.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. This invasion caused the Polish government to collapse. Mościcki fled to Romania and later sought asylum in Switzerland, where he lived until he died on October 2, 1946.
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Who Is The Current President Of Poland?
The current President of Poland is Andrzej Duda, and he has been in office since August 6, 2015. Andrzej Duda was born on May 16, 1972. He is both a lawyer and a politician. Also, he is part of the Law and Justice party, known as PiS in Poland.
Duda was a member of the Sejm, which is Poland’s lower house of parliament, from 2011 to 2014. After that, he served as a Member of the European Parliament until he was elected President in 2015.
Andrzej Duda became President after winning a runoff election against the sitting President at the time, Bronisław Komorowski.
However, his time as president focused on a strong nationalist agenda and maintaining traditional Polish values. One of the main parts of his first term was making changes to the judicial system, which many found controversial.
Duda also had disagreements with the European Union, especially about immigration policies. He did not agree with the EU’s plan for migrant quotas and wanted Poland to have control over its own immigration decisions.
In 2020, Duda was re-elected for a second term. He won a close election against Rafal Trzaskowski, who was the mayor of Warsaw. During his second term, Duda has continued to focus on national sovereignty and security.
This has been especially important with rising tensions with Russia. Duda has been a strong supporter of Ukraine during its conflict with Russia and has called for more military and humanitarian aid from Western countries.
Duda’s time as President has also included important developments in foreign relations. He has built strong ties with the United States, especially during Donald Trump’s presidency.
This included securing more U.S. military presence in Poland. Duda’s government has been active in NATO and has tried to increase Poland’s role in the European Union, despite some disagreements with EU leaders about rule-of-law issues.
In recent years, Duda has faced criticism for how his government handles media freedom and judicial independence.
Some people, including opposition parties and civil society groups, have accused his government of being too authoritarian.
One example is the controversial “Lex Tusk” law, which is supposed to investigate Russian influence in Polish politics.
This law has been criticized both in Poland and internationally because of concerns it might be used against political opponents.