Leszek Miller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Leszek Miller MEP
Prime Minister of Poland
In office 19 October 2001 – 2 May 2004
President	Aleksander Kwaśniewski
Deputy	Marek Belka Jarosław Kalinowski Marek Pol Jerzy Hausner Józef Oleksy
Preceded by	Jerzy Buzek
Succeeded by	Marek Belka
Leader of the Democratic Left Alliance
In office 10 December 2011 – 23 January 2016
Preceded by	Grzegorz Napieralski
Succeeded by	Włodzimierz Czarzasty
In office 15 April 1999 – 6 March 2004
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Krzysztof Janik
Leader of the Polish Left
In office 5 January 2008 – 9 January 2010
Preceded by	Position established Himself (As Leader of Social Democracy)
Succeeded by	Jacek Zdrojewski
Leader of Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland
In office 21 September 1997 – 15 April 1999
Preceded by	Józef Oleksy
Succeeded by	Position abolished Himself (As Leader of the Democratic Left Alliance)
Minister of Interior and Administration
In office 1 January 1997 – 31 October 1997
Prime Minister	Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz
Preceded by	Zbigniew Siemiątkowski
Succeeded by	Janusz Tomaszewski
Minister of Labour and Social Policy
In office 26 October 1993 – 7 February 1996
Prime Minister	Waldemar Pawlak Józef Oleksy
Preceded by	Jacek Kuroń
Succeeded by	Andrzej Bądkowski
Personal details
Born	Leszek Cezary Miller (1946-07-03) 3 July 1946 (age 78) Żyrardów, Poland
Political party	Polish United Workers' Party (1969–1990) Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (1990–1999) Democratic Left Alliance (1999–2007, 2010–2021) Polish Left (2007–2010)
Other political affiliations	Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland (2007)
Spouse	Aleksandra Miller
Children	1
Awards
Signature

Leszek Cezary Miller (born 3 July 1946) is a Polish politician. He was the Prime Minister of Poland from 2001 to 2004. He also served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2019 to 2024.

Before 1990, Miller was a member of the Politburo of the Polish United Workers' Party. This was the main decision-making group of the communist party in Poland. He led the Democratic Left Alliance party twice, from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2011 to 2016.

Early Life and Education

Leszek Miller was born in Żyrardów, Poland. His family was not wealthy; his father was a tailor and his mother was a needlewoman. His parents separated when he was very young, and he was raised by his mother. She taught him to be religious, and he even served as an altar server in their church for a while.

Because life was tough, Miller started working at a textile factory in Żyrardów when he was 17. He also went to school in the evenings to study electrical engineering. Later, he completed his military service on a submarine called ORP Bielik.

In 1969, Miller married Aleksandra. They had a son, Leszek Junior, who passed away in 2018. They also have a granddaughter named Monika.

Starting a Political Career

Joining the Communist Party

Miller began his political journey as an activist in the Socialist Youth Union. He quickly became a leader in the local group. After his military service in 1969, he joined the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR). This was Poland's communist party at the time.

Many people joined the PZPR to help their careers or get a better education. Miller used his connection to the party to help with his studies and work goals.

In 1973 and 1974, Miller was a secretary for the PZPR at his factory. The party then recommended him for political science studies at a special school for politicians. He graduated in 1977. After that, Miller worked for the PZPR's main committee, focusing on youth, sports, and tourism.

Rising Through the Ranks

In 1986, Miller became the First Secretary of the PZPR in the Skierniewice area. In 1988, he moved back to Warsaw after being promoted to Secretary of the PZPR Central Committee.

He took part in the important "Round Table" talks in 1989. These talks were between the government and the opposition, helping to bring about big changes in Poland. Miller helped lead the group discussing youth issues. In 1989, he became a member of the PZPR's Politburo, a very powerful group.

Political Career After 1990

New Parties and Parliament

After the PZPR was dissolved, Miller helped create the Social Democracy of the Polish Republic party. He held important leadership roles in this new party. In 1999, he helped establish the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) and became its chairman until 2004.

In 1989, he tried to become a senator but didn't win. However, in the 1991 elections, he won a seat in the Sejm (the Polish parliament). He continued to win elections in Łódź, gaining more votes each time. He served in Parliament until 2005.

Key Government Roles

Miller was a leading politician on the left side of Polish politics. In the early 1990s, he was accused in a case called the "Moscow loan." However, he was later cleared of these accusations.

From 1993 to 1996, Miller served as the Minister of Labour and Social Policy. He worked in the governments led by Waldemar Pawlak and Józef Oleksy. In 1996, he became a Senior Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, earning him the nickname "The Chancellor."

Miller played a big role in solving the case of Colonel Ryszard Kukliński. He also supported the Concordat (an agreement with the Catholic Church) and the choice of Leszek Balcerowicz to lead the National Bank of Poland. These decisions were not always popular with everyone in his party.

During the time when the Solidarity Electoral Action party was in power, Miller led the opposition in parliament. He worked to unite many left-wing groups around him. In 1999, he successfully created one strong party, the Democratic Left Alliance, which did very well in later elections.

Prime Minister (2001-2004)

Leading Poland

In the 2001 parliamentary election, the Left party won by a lot. On October 19, 2001, President Aleksander Kwaśniewski appointed Leszek Miller as Prime Minister. His new government, which had 16 ministers, was the smallest in Poland's history.

Miller's government faced tough economic challenges. There was high unemployment (over 18%) and a lot of government debt. Even though the economy grew by over 6% by the end of his term, it wasn't enough to significantly lower unemployment.

His government made some unpopular cuts to public spending and tried to reform healthcare funding. They continued reforms of the tax system and social insurance. Taxes for companies and businesses were lowered to 19%. They also passed a law to make it easier to start a business.

Joining the European Union

A major goal for Miller's government was to prepare Poland to join the European Union. They worked hard on the negotiations for Poland's entry. On December 13, 2002, at a meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, Prime Minister Miller successfully finished these talks.

On April 16, 2003, in Athens, Miller signed the Accession Treaty, which officially brought Poland into the European Union. His government also organized a national vote (referendum) on joining the EU. On June 7 and 8, 2003, a large majority (77.45%) of voters said "yes" to Poland joining the European Union.

Foreign Policy and Challenges

Miller's government, along with President Kwaśniewski, decided in March 2003 to join an international group and send Polish troops to Iraq. This was part of an effort to remove Saddam Hussein's government. Miller also signed "the letter of 8," which was a letter from eight European prime ministers supporting the U.S. position on Iraq.

In 2002, Miller allowed the U.S. government to use a secret facility at a military training center in Poland. Years later, he faced accusations that this action was against the law.

On December 4, 2003, Leszek Miller was injured in a helicopter crash near Warsaw.

Towards the end of his time as Prime Minister, Miller's government had low public support. This was due to ongoing high unemployment, corruption scandals (like "Rywingate"), and plans to cut social spending. In February 2004, he stepped down as chairman of his party. Some criticized him for being too liberal and focusing too much on free markets.

On May 2, 2004, Miller resigned as Prime Minister, just one day after Poland officially joined the European Union. On May 1, 2004, he was in Dublin with President Kwaśniewski for the big ceremony where 10 countries, including Poland, joined the European Union.

Later Career and Activities

After leaving the Prime Minister's office, Miller continued to be active. In 2005, he was not chosen to run for Parliament again by his party, the Democratic Left Alliance. He was offered a chance to run for the Senate but declined.

He then became involved in journalism, writing for the "Wprost" weekly magazine about economic ideas and current political events. In 2005, he spent time at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., studying Poland's role in Eastern Europe.

In September 2007, Leszek Miller joined the Samoobrona party and ran for the Sejm from their lists. In January 2008, he became the chairman of the newly formed Polish Left party. However, in December 2009, he rejoined the SLD.

In the 2015 parliamentary elections, he was not re-elected as a Member of Parliament. He did not run for re-election as chairman of the SLD in January 2016. In March 2021, he announced he was leaving the party after it merged with another to form the New Left.

See also

In Spanish: Leszek Miller para niños

Images for kids

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  Leszek Miller interviewed in the Sejm (2014)

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  Leszek Miller with former Polish presidents: Wojciech Jaruzelski and Aleksander Kwaśniewski (2010)

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  President of Russia Vladimir Putin with Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller (2001)