Hanna Suchocka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hanna Suchocka
OB GCPO
|
|
|---|---|
Suchocka in 1992
|
|
| Prime Minister of Poland | |
| In office 8 July 1992 – 26 October 1993 |
|
| President | Lech Wałęsa |
| Deputy | Henryk Goryszewski Paweł Łączkowski |
| Preceded by | Waldemar Pawlak |
| Succeeded by | Waldemar Pawlak |
| Minister of Justice Public Prosecutor General |
|
| In office 31 October 1997 – 8 June 2000 |
|
| Prime Minister | Jerzy Buzek |
| Preceded by | Leszek Kubicki |
| Succeeded by | Lech Kaczyński |
| Member of the Sejm | |
| In office 18 June 1989 – 18 October 2001 |
|
| In office 23 March 1980 – 31 July 1985 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 April 1946 Pleszew, Poland |
| Political party | Alliance of Democrats (Before 1989) Solidarity (1989–1990) Democratic Union (1990–1994) Freedom Union (1994–2000) |
| Alma mater | Adam Mickiewicz University M.Jur. (1968), PhD (1975), Habilitation (2015) |
| Occupation | legal scholar, diplomat |
| Awards |   |
| Signature |  |
Hanna Stanisława Suchocka (born 3 April 1946) is a famous Polish politician, lawyer, and professor. She teaches at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. She also served as the First Vice-President and Honorary President of the Venice Commission, which helps countries with their laws.
Hanna Suchocka was the Prime Minister of Poland from July 8, 1992, to October 26, 1993. She served during the time Lech Wałęsa was president. She made history as the first woman to become Prime Minister in Poland. She was also the 14th woman in the world to hold such a high position.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hanna Suchocka was born in Pleszew, Poland. She grew up in a Catholic family where both her parents were chemists. Her grandfather was a university teacher. Her grandmother, Anna, was special too; she became a member of the first Polish parliament for Poznań in 1918, after women in Poland gained the right to vote.
Hanna Suchocka studied law at the University of Poznan. She became a researcher there. However, she lost her job because she refused to join the Communist party, which was in power at the time. She cared a lot about human rights. In 1975, she earned her PhD in Constitutional law in West Germany. Constitutional law is about the basic rules and laws that a country follows.
Political Beginnings
In 1969, Hanna Suchocka joined a small political group called the Democratic Party. This party was not part of the main Communist system. From 1980 to 1985, she was a member of the Sejm, which is the Polish parliament, during the time of the People's Republic of Poland.
At the same time, she was also a member and a legal advisor for Solidarity. Solidarity was a big trade union that fought for workers' rights and freedom in Poland. Hanna Suchocka was one of only a few members of parliament who voted against martial law in 1981. Martial law meant the military took control of the country. She also voted against making Solidarity illegal in 1984. Because of her actions, her party suspended her, or she resigned. But with the support of Solidarity, she was re-elected to parliament in 1989.
When the supporters of Solidarity formed different political parties, Suchocka joined the Democratic Union (DU). This was a center-liberal party. She was re-elected to parliament again in 1991.
Poland's First Female Prime Minister (1992-1993)
Hanna Suchocka became Prime Minister in 1992. At that time, governments in Poland were often formed by different political groups working together, and they changed quite often. Many male politicians were surprised when she was chosen. However, she was known for being calm and willing to find solutions and bring people together. This made her acceptable to many who might not have liked other leaders.
Hanna Suchocka announced that her government would work for peace between different groups in society. She also said her government would help Poland change from a communist system to a capitalist one, where businesses are privately owned. Parliament approved her government with 233 votes for, 61 against, and 113 people not voting.
She quickly formed her team of ministers. She wanted to include other women, but her political partners did not agree. So, she had two male deputy prime ministers instead. She stayed as Prime Minister longer than the four people who held the job before her.
During her time as Prime Minister, there were many strikes by workers. Suchocka strongly supported market reforms, which meant making the economy more open. She took a firm stance against the strikers. When she refused to give pay raises to teachers and health workers, parliament voted that they no longer trusted her government. She lost by just one vote. Because of this, President Wałęsa ended parliament and called for new elections.
Before the 1993 parliamentary elections, Suchocka's government signed an agreement with the Holy See (the Vatican). This agreement was criticized by some, especially the Democratic Left Alliance, who said her government signed it without full approval from parliament. Hanna Suchocka resigned once the new parliament was in place.
Later Career and Global Roles
In 1994, Hanna Suchocka helped start a new party called the Liberty Union. This party combined liberal and social-democratic ideas and became the third-largest political group in Poland. From 1997 to 2000, she served as the Minister of Justice in a government made up of different parties.
Some activists were not happy with her becoming Minister of Justice. In August 1997, a former Interior Minister accused her government of allowing other political groups to be watched. On June 8, 2000, the entire Freedom Union party left the government. This happened after weeks of talks failed to find a new leader for the government, as the Freedom Union felt the current leader wasn't pushing for economic changes fast enough.
Hanna Suchocka is also a member of the Club of Madrid, which is a group of former presidents and prime ministers from democratic countries. She is also part of the Council of Women World Leaders. This group brings together women who are or were presidents and prime ministers. Their goal is to work together on important issues for women and fair development around the world.
From 2002 to 2013, she was Poland's Ambassador to the Holy See (the Vatican). She was also a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in the Vatican. Pope John Paul II appointed her to this role in 1994. In April 2014, Pope Francis chose Hanna Suchocka to be one of the first members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. This commission works to protect children.
See also
- Hanna Suchocka para niños (In Spanish)
