JarosĹaw KaczyĹski
JarosĹaw Aleksander KaczyĹski is a conservative Polish politician and lawyer. He served as Prime Minister from July 2006 to November 2007. He is presently the chairman of the Law and Justice party, which he cofounded in 2001. He has been the leader of the opposition since the 2007 elections. KaczyĹski is the identical twin brother of the late Polish President Lech KaczyĹski. JarosĹaw and Lech were born in Warsaw. in 18 June 1949. JarosĹaw KaczyĹski was a graduate of law and administration of Warsaw University, which in 1976 awarded him a PhD in Law. In the 1980s, he became a member of the Solidarity trade union. KaczyĹski was the executive editor of the Tygodnik SolidarnoĹÄ weekly in 1989â91. In 1991, he created the centrist, Christian democratic Centre Agreement party and later became its chairman, remaining in the role until 1998. In the years 1991â3 and 1997â2005 KaczyĹski was a member of the Polish Parliament. Following reports of a rift between KaczyĹski and Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, the latter tendered his resignation on 7 July 2006, and KaczyĹski was appointed prime minister by the President Lech KaczyĹski on 10 July, and officially sworn in on 14 July. KaczyĹski controversially initiated a nationwide program (lustracja) which required thousands of public employees, teachers, and journalists to formally declare whether or not they had collaborated with the security services of the former communist regime. KaczyĹski\'s government was criticized both at home and abroad for poor foreign relationships with Germany and Russia. Following the death of Lech KaczyĹski in a plane crash in Russia, JarosĹaw announced that he would run for President against BronisĹaw Komorowski in the upcoming elections. He was running against BronisĹaw Komorowski in the presidential election, held on 20 June 2010. KaczyĹski announced his candidacy on 26 April 2010, and said he would take the place of his recently deceased brother. Some analysts have said KaczyĹski has softened his image during the campaign, in order to win centrist voters. On 11 May 2010, he made a televised address to Russia, greeting his \'Russian friends\' and praising the millions of Russians who died fighting in World War II. He got 36.46% of the votes in the first round, while acting president BronisĹaw Komorowski got 41.54%. In the second round, against Komorowski, he was defeatedâhe got 46.99% of the votes, and Komorowski got 53.01%, which made him the winner.
