Jarosław Kaczyński facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jarosław Kaczyński
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Kaczyński in 2023
|
|
| Deputy Prime Minister of Poland | |
| In office 21 June 2023 – 27 November 2023 |
|
| Prime Minister | Mateusz Morawiecki |
| Preceded by |
See list
Mariusz Błaszczak
Piotr Gliński Henryk Kowalczyk Jacek Sasin |
| Succeeded by |
See list
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
Krzysztof Gawkowski |
| In office 6 October 2020 – 21 June 2022 |
|
| Prime Minister | Mateusz Morawiecki |
| Preceded by | Jadwiga Emilewicz |
| Succeeded by | Mariusz Błaszczak |
| Prime Minister of Poland | |
| In office 14 July 2006 – 16 November 2007 |
|
| President | Lech Kaczyński |
| Preceded by | Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz |
| Succeeded by | Donald Tusk |
| Leader of Law and Justice | |
| Assumed office 18 January 2003 |
|
| General Secretary |
See list
Joachim Brudziński (8 July 2006 - 12 January 2008)
Jarosław Zieliński (12 January 2008 - 10 October 2009) Krzysztof Sobolewski (4 July 2021- 25 October 2023) Piotr Milowański (acting; 25 October 2023 - 16 December 2023) Piotr Milowański (since 16 December 2023) |
| Parliamentary Leader |
See list
Ludwik Dorn (18 January 2003 - 3 November 2005)
Przemysław Gosiewski ( 3 November 2005 - 19 July 2006) Marek Kuchciński (19 July 2006 - 13 November 2007) Przemysław Gosiewski (13 November 2007 - 6 January 2010) Grażyna Gęsicka (6 January 2010 - 10 April 2010) Marek Kuchciński (acting; 10 April 2010 - 3 August 2010) Mariusz Błaszczak (3 August 2010 - 11 November 2015) Ryszard Terlecki (11 November 2015 - 23 November 2023) Mariusz Błaszczak (since 23 November 2023) |
| Preceded by | Lech Kaczyński |
| Chief of the Presidential Chancellery | |
| In office 22 December 1990 – 31 October 1991 |
|
| President | Lech Wałęsa |
| Preceded by | Michał Janiszewski |
| Succeeded by | Janusz Ziółkowski |
| Member of the Sejm | |
| Assumed office 31 October 1997 |
|
| Constituency |
|
| In office 6 December 1991 – 26 October 1993 |
|
| Constituency | Warsaw I |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jarosław Aleksander Kaczyński
18 June 1949 Warsaw, Poland |
| Political party | Law and Justice (2001–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
| Relatives | Lech Kaczyński (twin brother) |
| Alma mater | University of Warsaw (LL.D.) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Awards |   |
| Signature |  |
Jarosław Aleksander Kaczyński (born on 18 June 1949) is a Polish politician. He helped start the Law and Justice (PiS) political party in 2001 with his twin brother, Lech Kaczyński. He has been the leader of this party since 2003.
Jarosław Kaczyński was the Prime Minister of Poland from 2006 to 2007. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Poland two times. The first time was from 2020 to 2022, and the second time was from June to November 2023. He is known for having a lot of influence in Polish politics, especially when his party, PiS, was in power.
As a student, Jarosław Kaczyński took part in protests in March 1968. Later, he joined groups that were against the communist government. He was involved in the Solidarity movement, which fought for workers' rights. In 1982, he became a member of the Polish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, which works to protect human rights.
In 1989, Kaczyński participated in important talks called the Round Table talks. These talks helped Poland move away from communism. From 1989 to 1991, he was a senator. In 1990, he started the Centre Agreement party and led it until 1998. He also worked for President Lech Wałęsa as the head of his office from 1990 to 1991. He has been a Member of Parliament for many years, from 1991 to 1993 and continuously since 1997.
In 2001, he co-founded the PiS party with his brother, Lech Kaczyński. He became the party leader in 2003. When he was prime minister from 2006 to 2007, his brother Lech was the president of Poland. After his party lost the election in 2007, Kaczyński became the main leader of the opposition. In 2010, after his brother died in a plane crash, Jarosław Kaczyński ran for president but lost.
Since 2015, when PiS won both the presidential and parliamentary elections, Kaczyński has been seen as a very powerful politician in Poland. In 2020, he became Deputy Prime Minister again, overseeing important ministries like defense and justice. He stepped down from this role in November 2023 after his party did not win enough seats in the 2023 Polish parliamentary election.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jarosław Kaczyński was born on 18 June 1949, in Warsaw, Poland. He has an identical twin brother named Lech Kaczyński. Their father, Rajmund Kaczyński, was an engineer and a soldier during World War II. Their mother, Jadwiga Kaczyńska, was a language expert who also served during the war.
When they were children, Jarosław and his brother starred in a Polish film from 1962 called The Two Who Stole the Moon. This movie was based on a popular children's story. Jarosław went to high school and later studied law at the University of Warsaw. He earned a law degree in 1976. After his studies, he worked as a researcher and assistant professor at the University of Białystok.
Political Career
Fighting Communism
During his time at university, Jarosław Kaczyński took part in student protests in March 1968. In 1976, he started working with the Workers' Defence Committee (KOR). This group was formed to protect workers who were being treated unfairly by the communist government. KOR later became the Committee for Social Self-Defense (KSS KOR), which worked on broader activities against the government.
Kaczyński worked in an office that recorded cases of human rights violations by the authorities. He helped people who were being repressed by the government. He also joined the team that created the monthly magazine Głos, which was connected to KSS KOR. During the communist era, Kaczyński worked for several groups that opposed the government, including the Solidarity trade union. He was also the editor of the Tygodnik Solidarność weekly magazine from 1989 to 1991.
The 1990s
In 1991, Kaczyński started a conservative political party called the Centre Agreement. He was its chairman until 1998. From 1991 to 1993, and then continuously since 1997, he has been a member of the Sejm, which is the lower house of the Polish parliament. In the early 1990s, he also worked for the President of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, as the head of his presidential office.
Elections in 2005
Jarosław Kaczyński was the candidate for prime minister for the Law and Justice party in the 2005 Polish parliamentary election. Even though his party won, he decided not to become prime minister at first. He thought that if he became prime minister, it might hurt his brother Lech's chances of becoming president in the 2005 Polish presidential election. So, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz was appointed prime minister instead.
In the months that followed, Kaczyński was a leading member of parliament and the head of his party. He had a lot of influence over the prime minister's decisions. He also helped form a coalition government with other parties.
Prime Minister: 2006–2007
Jarosław Kaczyński became prime minister on 14 July 2006, after the previous prime minister resigned. His brother, Lech Kaczyński, who was the president, appointed him. This was a unique situation because they were the first twin brothers in the world to serve as both president and prime minister of a country at the same time.
During his time as prime minister, Kaczyński started a program that required many public employees, teachers, and journalists to state if they had worked with the old communist government's security services. He also created a Central Anticorruption Bureau to fight corruption. His government also changed Poland's approach to the European Union, becoming more critical of it. Taxes were also reduced during his time in office.
2007 Parliamentary Election
In the 2007 Polish parliamentary election, Jarosław Kaczyński's Law and Justice party gained more votes but still lost the election. They came in second place behind the Civic Platform party. Donald Tusk became the new prime minister. Kaczyński remained the chairman of Law and Justice and became the leader of the opposition.
2010 Presidential Election
After his brother's death in a plane crash, Jarosław Kaczyński announced he would run for president in the 2010 Polish presidential election. He ran against Bronisław Komorowski. During his campaign, Kaczyński tried to present a softer image to attract more voters. His campaign slogan was "Poland Comes First." He received 36.5% of the votes in the first round. In the second round, he lost to Komorowski, getting 47.0% of the votes.
After 2015
.jpg)
To appeal to more voters, Jarosław Kaczyński decided not to run for president or prime minister himself in the 2015 elections. Instead, he put forward other members of his party. Andrzej Duda ran for president and Beata Szydło ran for prime minister. The Law and Justice party won both elections in 2015. This was the first time a party won a clear majority in parliament since communism ended in Poland.
Even though he is very popular among his party's supporters, some polls show that many people in Poland do not trust Kaczyński as much as other politicians. In 2017, he was described as the unofficial leader of Poland and one of the most important politicians in the country.
In 2020, Kaczyński became Deputy Prime Minister in the government led by Mateusz Morawiecki. He announced in late 2021 that he would step down from this role in early 2022 to focus on leading his party. He officially stepped down on 21 June 2022.
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaczyński and others visited a cemetery when it was closed to the public due to restrictions. This caused some discussion and criticism. Later, in May 2020, a Polish radio station was accused of trying to censor a song that was critical of the Law and Justice party. The song, "Twój ból jest lepszy niż mój" ("Your Pain is Better Than Mine"), was inspired by Kaczyński's actions. This incident led to controversy and resignations at the radio station.
Political Views
Jarosław Kaczyński wants to create a "fourth republic" in Poland. This means he wants to make big changes from the way things were after communism ended. He also wants Poland to return to its traditional, Roman Catholic roots and move away from some Western European ideas. In April 2016, he stated that he would not run for president or prime minister in future elections.
Kaczyński has strong and firm views, especially about parts of the political and media world that he sees as connected to the old communist system. Because of these views, he is sometimes seen as a "polarizing" figure, meaning he causes strong opinions for or against him.
In recent years, he has also supported animal rights. He has worked on activities to ban the breeding of animals for their fur. Some of his political opponents use the term "Kaczyzm" to describe his political ideas in a negative way. He is also considered a Eurosceptic, meaning he has critical views about the European Union.
Honors
Jarosław Kaczyński has received several honors:
- From Poland:
- "Man of the Year" by the weekly magazine Gazeta Polska (2004, 2015, 2019)
- "Man of the Year" by the weekly magazine Wprost (2005, 2015)
- "Man of the Year" by the Federation of Regional Associations of Municipalities and Powiats of the Republic of Poland (2005)
- "Man of the Year 2014" by the Economic Forum (2015)
- "Man of Freedom" by the weekly magazine Sieci (2016, 2021)
- 25th anniversary award of Gazeta Polska (2018)
- From Georgia:
St. George's Order of Victory (2013)
- From Ukraine:
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 2nd class (2022)
Personal Life
Jarosław Kaczyński is a practicing Roman Catholic. He has never married and does not have children. He lived with his mother until she became ill. He does not own a computer and reportedly opened his first bank account only in 2009. On December 7, 2024, Kaczyński joined the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). He owns two cats and is known for being a "feline enthusiast".
See also
In Spanish: Jarosław Kaczyński para niños
- Polish nationalism
- List of Law and Justice politicians
- Janina Goss
