Posted on 12/19/2005 2:55:27 PM PST by lizol
Goodbye Olek
Aleksander Kwasniewski ends his two terms as Polish president and later this week will hand over his office to his political opponent, right wing president elect Lech Kaczynski. Known by his nickname 'Olek', which is short for Aleksander, Kwasniewski is seen as a president who ushered Poland into NATO and the EU and tried to exert a moderating influence, but whose last years of presidency were marred by political scandals.
Aleksander Kwasniewski was 41 when in 1995, as the leader of the Polish left, he defeated the Solidarity legend Lech Wa³êsa in the presidential elections. Five years later he was re-elected for a second term. Ten years is a big chunk of Poland’s modern history; after all it’s only 16 years ago that communist rule collapsed. How is president Kwasniewski going to be remembered? According to Jacek Kucharczyk of the Institute of Public Affairs, his main achievements are in the field of foreign policy.
Looking back at his presidency, Aleksander Kwasniewski also gives priority to the recent changes in Poland’s international position, symbolized by its membership in NATO and the European Union. He stresses, however, that he was not the sole architect of these achievements.
‘There are no events in the present-day world which could be attributed to a single man. These are no doubt the successes of the past decade. It’s also worth noting that the office of the president in Poland came to be treated by Poles as a very important institution.’
It is indeed quite remarkable that – despite some ups and downs in his popularity ratings - president Kwaœniewski has managed to maintain a high level of public trust. His last-minute decision to pardon a former party colleague convicted for helping to tip off gangsters about a police crackdown somewhat tainted the positive image. It is seen by many people as a kind of irony of history that it was a president with roots in the communist past who brought Poland into the European Union and NATO. Konrad Schuller, the Warsaw correspondent of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, admits that his initial disappointment with Kwaœniewski’s election as president turned into a recognition of his role in European politics.
For most analysts of the Polish scene, Kwasniewski’s role in domestic politics was far less meaningful than his record on the international scene. There is no doubt that at 51, younger than his successor Lech Kaczyñski at the start of his term, Aleksander Kwasniewski won’t retire from politics. Is he going to act again as a major player on Poland’s political scene or work for an international organization, is anyone’s guess at the moment.
Yep, goodbye, see you before the Tribunal of the State soon.
I wish Mr. Kaczynski a successful term as President of the Polish Republic, and sincerely hope Poland will continue to be a beacon of Christian civilization in a continent slipping ever deeper into the darkness of secularism.
As an American, I'll give credit where it's due, Poland was a tremendous ally in the WoT on his watch. And despite him being an atheist, he stood up to the EUrocrats to acknowledge Europe's Judeo-Christian heritage.
That being said, I'm glad he's moving aside.
Good riddance. He's still a Commie in my book.
Mine too. Commie and crook.
His wife got to make pots of cash selling influence.
The only admirable thing he did was screw that hot part-gypsy singer... won't mention her name, but it's true.
Poland should have done what the Czech Republic did - forbid all Commies and former Commies from ever coming to power for 25 years or so. Then Poland could have done without that whole sad SLD debacle.
Yes, I mean Edyta Górniak. I didn't want to be the one to post her name, but what the heck... all of Poland already knows about it.
I'm in the dark about this. Can I have some details please?
There were rumours about Gorniak and Kwasniewski having an affair during their stay in Korea (Soccer World Cup 4 years ago). Edyta went there to sing Polish national anthem before one of the matches. She screwed... but I don't know whether Kwasniewski screwed, too.
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