Jarosław Kaczyński
Jarosław Aleksander Kaczyński (Polish pronunciation: [jaˈrɔswaf kaˈt͡ʂɨj̃skʲi] ⓘ; born 18 June 1949) is a Polish politician. He has been the leader of the Law and Justice party (PiS) since 2003. He served as Prime Minister of Poland from 2006 to 2007, and has twice held the post of Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, first from 2020 to 2022, and a second time from June to November 2023.
Jarosław Kaczyński
- Ludwik Dorn
- Przemysław Gosiewski
- Marek Kuchciński
- Przemysław Gosiewski
- Grażyna Gęsicka
- Marek Kuchciński
- Mariusz Błaszczak
- Ryszard Terlecki
- 33 – Kielce
(2023–present) - 19 – Warsaw I
(1997–2023)
Law and Justice (2001–present)
- Solidarity (before 1991)
- Centre Agreement (1991–1997)
- Solidarity Electoral Action (1997–2001)
Lawyer
Jaroslaw Kaczyński as a student took part in protest during the March 1968 political crisis. Subsequently, he became involved in the anti-communist opposition as a collaborator of KOR and KSS KOR. He took part in the protests in August 1980 when he was arrested, then joined the Solidarity movement. In 1982 he became a member of the Polish Helsinki Committee. He took part in the 1988 strikes.
In 1989, Kaczyński took part in the Round Table talks. In 1989–1991, he served as a senator. In 1990, he founded the Centre Agreement party, of which he served as leader until 1998. In 1990–91 he was head of the chancellery of President Lech Wałęsa. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1991 to 1993 and continuously since 1997.
In 2001 he co-founded the PiS party with his twin brother, Lech Kaczyński, of which he became leader in 2003. Running for PiS, he served as the prime minister of Poland from July 2006 to November 2007, while his brother was the president of Poland. After PiS's electoral defeat in 2007, Kaczyński was the main leader of the opposition during Civic Platform's governments. Following the death of his brother in a plane crash, Jarosław Kaczyński ran in the 2010 Polish presidential election losing to Bronisław Komorowski.
Since the 2015 victories of PiS, both in the presidential and parliamentary election, Kaczyński was considered to be the most powerful politician in Poland and one of the most influential European leaders.[1] In 2020, he was designated as the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland with oversight over the defense, justice and interior ministries.
Early life[edit]
Kaczyński was born on 18 June 1949, the identical twin brother of Lech Kaczyński. They were born in Warsaw.[2] His father was Rajmund Kaczyński (1922–2005), an engineer who served as a soldier in the Armia Krajowa in World War II, and his mother was Jadwiga Kaczyńska (1925–2013), a philologist at the Polish Academy of Sciences, during the war served in the Grey Ranks.[3]
As children, he starred with his brother in the 1962 Polish film The Two Who Stole the Moon (Polish: O dwóch takich, co ukradli księżyc), based on a popular children's story by Kornel Makuszyński.[4] Kaczyński attended the Joachim Lelewel XLI High School, but due to failing to be promoted to the next grade he moved to the Mikołaj Kopernik XXXIII High School. He graduated from secondary school in 1967.[3]
Kaczyński studied law at the Warsaw University's Faculty of Law and Administration, where in 1976 he obtained a Doctor of Law (LL.D.) degree after completing a dissertation titled "The role of collegial bodies in governing institutions of higher education" under the supervision of Stanisław Ehrlich.[5] From 1971 to 1976, he was employed as a researcher at the Institute of Scientific Policy and Higher Education and then became an assistant professor at the Białystok branch of the University of Warsaw.[3]
Political career[edit]
Anti-communist opposition[edit]
During his studies, he took part in the student protests in March 1968.[6] Kaczyński began working with the Workers' Defence Committee (KOR) in 1976.[6] KOR was formed after the workers' protests of June 1976 to defend workers against persecution by the communist authorities. In 1976, he was stopped in time while carrying out tasks for the KOR during a journey to Płock.[6] Subsequently, the KOR was transformed into the Committee for Social Self-Defense KOR (KSS KOR), which aimed to undertake broader dissident activities. Jarosław Kaczyński worked in the Intervention Office of the KSS KOR, run by Zbigniew Romaszewski and Zofia Romaszewska.[3] Its task was to register all cases of human rights violations by the authorities, providing assistance to the repressed and those affected by the regime's actions. Kaczynski investigated cases of murders committed by MO and SB officers.[6]
Kaczyński also joined the editorial board of the monthly magazine Głos in 1979, which was associated with KSS KOR and headed by Antoni Macierewicz.[3]
During the communist-era, Kaczyński worked for several opposition organizations including Workers' Defence Committee, Committee for Social Self-Defense, and the Solidarity trade union.[7] Kaczyński was also the executive editor of the Tygodnik Solidarność weekly magazine from 1989 to 1991.[8]
1990s[edit]
In 1991, he created the conservative, Christian democratic Centre Agreement party and later became its chairman, remaining in the role until 1998. In the years 1991 to 1993 and since 1997, Kaczyński was a member of the Sejm.[9] In the same year, he worked under direction of the president of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, as the head of his presidential chancellery.[10] Wałęsa fired Kaczyński, who then led the protest movement against him.[11]
Personal life[edit]
Kaczyński is a practicing Roman Catholic. He is a lifelong bachelor and has no partner or children. He lived with his ailing mother until her hospitalization.[20] He owns no computer and is said to have opened his first bank account only in 2009.[27] He owns a cat and has been described as a "feline enthusiast".
The communist-era Security Service (SB) files described Kaczyński as "...very uncertain about his fate. His appearance is careless. He claimed that he was not interested in material matters, women, e.g. he does not care about having a family in the future. He has a phlegmatic disposition, the appearance of a bookworm." The files also noted that he was not willing to cooperate with the SB in any capacity.[59]
In popular culture[edit]
The main character of the political satire web series The Chairman's Ear, chairman Jarosław (portrayed by series creator Robert Górski), is modeled on Kaczyński.[60]