Â鶹APP

10 Facts About Polish Politician Lech Kaczyński

This Polish politician Lech Kaczyński is praised in the Polish political arena and beyond for outstanding leadership. During his presidential rulership, Poland enjoyed peaceful and tangible relationships from near and far away nations.

Moreover, he focused on improving the economy by reducing corruption in public entities. Before the presidential office, he held several high-rank public offices such as the Mayor of Warsaw, Minister of Justice, President of the Supreme Audit Office, and more.

Furthermore, he was a law major and attained the highest academic level in the Polish education system. Delve more into the political career, personal life, and achievements of Lech Kaczyński below.

Here are the 10 Facts About Polish Politician Lech Kaczyński.

1. Lech Kaczyński grew up in Warsaw

Photo by on

The Polish politician was born in Warsaw on 18 June 1949. He was born to Rajmund who was an engineer and to his mother Jadwiga who was a philologist. He was the twin brother of Jarosław Kaczyński.

Check out Fascinating Facts about Warsaw Old Town.

2. Lech Kaczyński starred in a film during childhood

During his childhood years, he was featured in a 1962 Polish film. He co-starred alongside his twin brother in the film The Two Who Stole the Moon.

3. He was a scholar in law

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Lech KaczyÅ„ski graduated from a law and administration program at Warsaw University. He pursued his Ph.D. at GdaÅ„sk University where he graduated in 1980. Further, he completed his labor and employment law habilitation in 1990. Thus he attained the highest order of Polish academics. 

On top of that, he was given the title of Honorary Doctor by the Baku Slavic University in 2009. This was in appreciation of his advancement in the development of cooperation between Poland and Azerbaijan. Also, because of his commitment to the strengthening of science and education sectors.

4. Kaczyński served in top-ranking political offices

Before he became president, he served in several esteemed public positions. He was the head of the Supreme Audit Office from 1992 to 1995 during Lech Wałęsa’s presidential regime.

Furthermore, he was the Minister of Justice and served in such capacity from 2000 to 2001. In 2002 he became the Mayor of Warsaw and served in the position up to 2005 when he was elected president.

5. He formed the party that propelled him to the presidential office

, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lech Kaczyński was the co-founder of the Law and Justice (PiS) party in 2003. He established it alongside his twin brother. They formed the party after breaking away from the Solidarity Electoral Action coalition.

Meet the Most Famous Polish Politicians. 

6. Lech Kaczyński served one term and was re-elected

( or ), via Wikimedia Commons

He was the presidential candidate of his party, Law and Justice during the 2005 presidential race. Hence during the first round of voting, he managed to secure about 33% of the total number of valid votes. Thus during the second round, he garnered over 54% with Donald Tusk coming second with 45%. Subsequently, he assumed the office of president on 23 December 2005.

7. He served with his twin brother as Prime Minister

In July 2006, late Polish President Lech Kaczyński made a record in the world when he appointed his twin brother Jaroslaw to the office of Prime Minister of Poland. They became the first siblings to serve as president and prime minister in the same country.

Over and above that, Jaroslaw received the appointment after the holder of the Prime Minister’s office then Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz resigned. Jaroslaw occupied the position until October 2007 when he lost his parliamentary seat. So Donald Tusk took over as Prime Minister.

8. Lech Kaczyński strengthened relationships with other nations

( or ), via Wikimedia Commons

The foreign affairs policies of KaczyÅ„ski’s administration attracted many cordial interactions with neighboring countries. He led  Poland to build partnerships with Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and the Baltic states(Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). To add on, he encouraged the Polish youth to learn about the Holocaust. Hence his admiration and popularity in Israel gained him much traction.

What’s more, he established strong ties with the US, France, Germany, and other nations within the European Union. Yet Poland and Russia ties attracted strife at the time. For instance, Russia banned meat and plant imports from Poland. In return, Poland rejected the EU-Russia relationship talks in 2006. This happened during a 2006 European Union-Russia meeting held in Helsinki, Finland.

9. He led Poland to conservative policies

Kaczyński caught the attention of the European Court of Human Rights when he banned the gay pride parade in Warsaw two years in a row. Better known in Poland as Parada Równości translated as the Equality Parade, was prevented from happening in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, Lech directed that the protesters had a right to peaceful demonstrations as citizens but never as homosexuals. He announced that such demonstrations were illegal and the law enforces were permitted to use great force to dismiss the crowds.

The ripple effect of Kaczyński’s order was that his country was found guilty before the European Court of Human Rights. Poland was accused of violating Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This section guards the principle of freedom of assembly.

Discover Interesting Facts About Poland.

10. He died with his wife in a plane crash

, , via Wikimedia Commons

While in office on 10 April 2010, Lech Kaczyński died when the Polish Air Force jet he was aboard crashed. The plane crashed in Russia’s territory when in an attempt to land at Smolensk North Airport.

The plane was ferrying over 90 top public and military Polish figures to commemoration of the Katyn massacre. It is one of the most significant events in the history of the Polish military. Part of the dignitaries was his wife Maria Kaczyńska. They had been together since 1978. Hence at death, they were survived by a daughter Marta Kaczyńska and two granddaughters. Their names are Ewa and Martyna.

Following his death, he became the second President of Poland to die while in office. The other was the first President of the country since it regained independence Gabriel Narutowicz who was assassinated in 1922.

Lech Kaczyński is celebrated for his commitment to fighting corruption and building strong foreign affairs policies. He is also respected for his firm conservative stands. His legacy in the Polish political environment is passed on through the party he co-founded. The Law and Justice (PiS) party has established itself as a political force in Polish politics since its formation.