About
Aleksander Kwaśniewski was born on November 15, 1954, in Białogard, Poland. He studied transport economics at the University of Gdańsk. A member of the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) from 1977, he participated in the Round Table negotiations in 1989 that led to the peaceful end of communist rule. Co-founder of the Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (SdRP) and the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), he was elected president in 1995, defeating Lech Wałęsa, and re-elected in 2000. During his two terms, he oversaw the adoption of the 1997 Constitution, Poland's accession to NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
* 1954-11-15
Key milestones
- 1995Elected President of Poland, defeating Lech Wałęsa with 51.7% of the vote.
- 1997Signed Poland's new democratic Constitution into law.
- 2004Led Poland into the European Union.
Themes
Democratic transitionEuropean integrationHistorical reconciliationInternational mediationPolitical left
Sources: britannica.com · clubmadrid.org