Alexander Kwasniewski is a well-known politician who led Poland for more than 10 years and became one of the initiators of the open door policy in the field of EU enlargement.
Biography: early years
Alexander Kwasniewski was born on November 15, 1954 in the city of Bialogard. His parents moved to Poland from Lithuania and were respected doctors. Alexander did not want to continue the family tradition and after school he entered the Lyceum with an economic bias. After graduating from it in 1972, the young man moved to Gdansk. There he entered the university at the Faculty of Transport Economics.
Already in his first year, Kwasniewski became a member of the Socialist Union of Polish Students. The activity and organizational abilities of a young man from the hinterland did not go unnoticed, and two years later he was elected head of the university committee of the JCSS. However, Alexander failed to combine social duties with studies, and he left the university after completing the 4th year, devoting himself to work as secretary of the Gdansk Committee of the Socialist Union of Polish Students. In addition, in 1977, A. Kwasniewski became a member of the Polish United Workers' Party (PUWP), which was the ruling political force in Poland from 1948 to 1990.
Further career
In 1980, Alexander Kwasniewski was invited to work in the executive committee of the Central Council of the JCSS, and in 1981 he was offered to become the chief editor of the youth publication "ITD". Thanks to the efforts of an active young functionary, the magazine soon became one of the most popular in Poland.
Success in the editorial field caused some time later that Alexander Kwasniewski headed the editorial board of the Standard Young newspaper. In this position, he did not have time to prove himself sufficiently, since in 1985 he was invited to take the post of Minister of Youth and Sports in the government of Zbigniew Messener. Kwasniewski managed to maintain his position even after Mechislav Rakovsky became Prime Minister of the country. In addition, in 1988, the politician led the Olympic Committee of Poland.
Biography after the victory of Solidarity
As a result of the coming to power of a party led by Lech Walesa, Poland underwent major changes in all areas, primarily in the political sphere. In particular, the PUWP was abolished. By this time, Kwasniewski Alexander, along with like-minded people, had already founded the Social Democratic Party and became its leader. So, at the age of 35, he became the leader of one of the most influential political forces in Poland, and was elected a deputy of the Sejm.
First election company
In the 1995 elections, the leaders of the presidential race were initially Lech Walesa and politician Alexander Kwasniewski. The latter traveled almost the whole country and was able to win the sympathy of fellow citizens. He spoke extremely respectfully of his political rival, and promised a new path of European development. The Poles believed in the 40-year-old Kwasniewski, and he received 51.7% of the vote. Having taken office in December 1995, the politician left the ranks of his party. He motivated this step by wanting to be the "president of all Poles."
Political and Economic Course
As president of Poland, Kwasniewski initiated many reforms. Among them are the transition to market democracy and the privatization of state property. In addition, he did his best for his country to join the European Union and NATO.
So, during the presidency of Kwasniewski, a new constitution of the country was approved at a referendum, due to which, after the Madrid and Washington summits, Poland, together with the Czech Republic and Hungary, joined NATO. Both events caused dissatisfaction of the political opposition, however, Kwasniewski safely remained in his post until the end of his second presidential term.
2005 scandal
Almost immediately after the presidential election, in which Lech Kaczynski became the winner, an unprecedented political scandal erupted in the country. As journalists managed to find out, during the reign of Kwasniewski, secret CIA prisons operated in Poland. In them, in violation of all international norms, without a court order, there were persons who were suspected by the US intelligence agencies in collaboration with Islamic movements. Moreover, psychological and physical torture was regularly applied to the prisoners in them, and all the defendants in the case turned out to be representatives of the party elite of the Union of Left Democrats. There were voices immediately suggesting that the former president be held accountable, but only those directly involved in organizing prisons were prosecuted.
In recent years
After the completion of the second presidential term, Alexander Kwasniewski (who you already know who this is) did not leave active social and political activity. So, in 2007, he became a member of the Yalta European Strategy, and also took part in the parliamentary elections, leading the Left and Democrats party.
In addition, for several years, Alexander Kwasniewski was a member of the international advisory body operating under the administration of the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, and was also the chairman of the Jerzy Schmeidzinsky Foundation.
His managerial experience was used in other areas. In particular, in 2014, the politician was a member of the board of directors of Burisma Holdings. And Alexander Kwasniewski teaches at the School of Diplomacy. Edmund Walsh of Georgetown University, whose honorary doctor he became in 2006.
What Alexander Kwasniewski thinks about the European Union today
In early July 2016, the former President of Poland, who has always been an active supporter of Eurointegration, spoke in Warsaw at a conference organized by the Kerber Foundation.
In his speech, he noted that after Britain left the EU, Europe would most likely be plunged into chaos. He also noted that it should be expected that similar referenda with the same result could be held in other states, which could lead to unpredictable consequences.
