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Andrzej Duda

Official portrait, 2019

President of Poland

In office
6 August 2015 – 6 August 2025

Prime Minister

Ewa Kopacz
Beata Szydło
Mateusz Morawiecki
Donald Tusk

Preceded by

Bronisław Komorowski

Succeeded by

Karol Nawrocki

Junior ministerial offices

Undersecretary of State in the Chancellery of the President
In office 16 January 2008 – 6 July 2010
President	Lech Kaczyński vacant
Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Justice
In office 1 August 2006 – 15 November 2007
Minister	Zbigniew Ziobro

Parliamentary offices

Member of the European Parliament
In office 1 July 2014 – 25 May 2015
Constituency	10 – Kraków
Member of the Sejm
In office 8 November 2011 – 1 July 2014
Constituency	13 – Kraków II
Member of the Kraków City Council
In office 2 December 2010 – 8 November 2011
Constituency	2 – Prądnik Biały/Krowodrza

Personal details

Born

Andrzej Sebastian Duda

16 May 1972 (age 53)
Kraków, Poland

Political party

Independent (2015–present)

Other political
affiliations

Law and Justice (2005–2015)
Freedom Union (2000–2001)

Spouse

Agata Kornhauser-Duda

(m. 1994)

Children

Residence

Presidential Palace

Alma mater

Jagiellonian University

Signature

Andrzej Sebastian Duda (born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician. He served as the sixth president of Poland for two terms, from 2015 to 2025. Before becoming president, he was a member of the Polish parliament, called the Sejm, and later a Member of the European Parliament.

Duda was born in Kraków. He was the presidential candidate for the Law and Justice (PiS) party in 2015. He won the election that year, becoming president. As is tradition in Poland, he left his political party after being elected to show that he represents all citizens.

In 2020, he was re-elected for a second term. During his presidency, he worked closely with the Law and Justice party.

Early Life and Education
Path to the Presidency
- Winning the 2015 and 2020 Elections
Presidency (2015–2025)
- Foreign Relations
- Domestic Issues and Debates
Personal Life
Honours
- National honours
- Foreign honours
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Andrzej Duda was born on May 16, 1972, in Kraków, Poland. His parents, Janina and Jan Tadeusz Duda, were both professors at a university. His grandfather was a soldier who fought for Poland in the Polish–Soviet War and in the Home Army during World War II.

Duda went to high school in Kraków, where he was very good at subjects like history and literature. After high school, he studied law at the famous Jagiellonian University and became a lawyer.

He continued his studies and earned a Doctor of Law degree in 2005. He also worked as a researcher and teacher at the university. For much of his political career, he took time off from his university work.

Path to the Presidency

President Lech Kaczyński with Andrzej Duda in 2008. Duda was working in the President's office.

Andrzej Duda started his political career in the early 2000s. In 2005, he began working with the Law and Justice (PiS) party. He held several important government jobs. For example, he worked in the Ministry of Justice and later in the office of President Lech Kaczyński.

In 2011, Duda was elected to the Sejm, which is the main house of the Polish parliament. He represented the city of Kraków. He was known as an active member of parliament. In 2014, he was elected to the European Parliament, where he represented Poland in the European Union.

Winning the 2015 and 2020 Elections

In 2015, the Law and Justice party chose Duda as their candidate for president. He ran against the president at the time, Bronisław Komorowski. Duda won the election in the second round of voting with 51.55% of the vote. He was sworn in as president on August 6, 2015.

In 2020, Duda ran for president again. He faced a close race against Rafał Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw. Duda won re-election with 51.03% of the vote, earning a second five-year term.

Presidency (2015–2025)

Andrzej Duda's presidency began on August 6, 2015. His two terms in office were marked by important events in Poland and around the world.

Andrzej Duda taking the oath of office to become president, August 6, 2015.

Foreign Relations

President Duda was very active in foreign policy. He worked to build strong relationships with other countries.

Duda with Xi Jinping, the leader of China, signing an agreement in 2016.

Duda with U.S. President Joe Biden in Warsaw, March 2022.

United States: Duda maintained a close relationship with the United States. He met with both President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. In 2019, he and President Trump agreed to increase the number of U.S. soldiers stationed in Poland.

China: He also met with China's leader, Xi Jinping. They signed agreements to increase trade and cooperation between Poland and China. Duda hoped Poland could become an important partner for China in Europe.

Three Seas Initiative: Along with the president of Croatia, Duda helped create the Three Seas Initiative. This is a group of twelve countries in Central and Eastern Europe. They work together on projects related to energy, transportation, and technology.

Support for Ukraine: A major focus of Duda's second term was supporting Ukraine. He played a big role in convincing other countries to send military and financial aid to Ukraine.

Domestic Issues and Debates

During his presidency, some of Duda's decisions and new laws caused major debates in Poland.

Changes to the Justice System

Soon after becoming president, Duda became involved in a debate about Poland's highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal. There was a disagreement between the President and the Parliament over who should appoint new judges. These changes to the justice system led to protests in Poland and criticism from the European Union.

In 2017, Duda decided to veto, or block, two laws that would have made more changes to the court system. This showed that he sometimes disagreed with the government's plans.

Law About World War II History

In 2018, President Duda signed a law about how Poland's history during World War II could be discussed. The law was meant to protect Poland's reputation. However, it caused a strong disagreement with other countries, especially Israel. The law was later changed to address these concerns.

Later, Duda honored Edward Mosberg, a survivor of the Holocaust. He was recognized for his work in bringing Polish and Jewish people closer together.

Presidential Pardons

In November 2015, Duda used his power to pardon Mariusz Kamiński, a government official. The official had been part of a legal case that was not yet finished. This decision was controversial. Some legal experts said a president should only pardon someone after a final court decision has been made.

Personal Life

Andrzej Duda is married to Agata Kornhauser-Duda. She was a German teacher at a high school in Kraków. They met at a party when they were both in high school and have been married since 1994. They have one daughter, Kinga, who was born in 1995.

In his free time, Duda is an avid skier. When he was a university student, he even competed in national skiing championships.

Duda is a Roman Catholic and often participates in religious ceremonies.

Honours

National honours

Poland: Order of the White Eagle (ex officio)
Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (ex officio)

Foreign honours

Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (7 October 2015)
Bulgaria: I Class of the Order of the Balkan Mountains (14 April 2016)
Czech Republic: Collar of the Order of the White Lion (15 March 2016)
Finland: Grand Cross with Collar Order of the White Rose of Finland (24 October 2017)
Greece: Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer (18 November 2017)
Italy: Knight Grand Cross decorated with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (17 April 2023)
Jordan: Bejewelled Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (19 November 2024)
Latvia: Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars (27 June 2018)
Lithuania: Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the Order of Vytautas the Great (21 February 2019)
Norway: Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav (23 May 2016)
Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit Grand Cross (1 September 2008)
Romania: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania (10 July 2016)
Slovakia: Grand Cross of the Order of the White Double Cross (9 May 2019)
Hungary: Grand Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit (9 September 2021)
Ukraine: Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class (23 August 2021)
International Olympic Committee: Gold Olympic Order (23 July 2022)
North Macedonia: Grand Cross of the Order 8-September (24 October 2022)
South Korea: Grand Order of Mugunghwa (13 July 2023)
Latvia: Commander of the Grand Cross of the Cross of Recognition (18 February 2025)
Sovereign Military Order of Malta: Collar of the Order pro Merito Melitensi (27 March 2025)
Estonia: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (8 April 2025)
Ukraine: Order of Liberty (28 June 2025)

Images for kids

Andrzej Duda meeting with leaders of the Polish Parliament in 2015.
Duda with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev in Sofia, 2018.
Duda visiting U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in 2020.
Andrzej Duda visiting Borodianka, a town in Ukraine, in April 2022.
Duda with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Rome, 2022.
Duda with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda in Lviv, Ukraine, 2023.