Jarosław Kaczyński
Leader of PiS
Jarosław was born in 1949 into a family that belongs to the capital’s so-called “intelligentsia”. He has been involved in politics for as long as anyone can remember, and in the years after the change of system in 1989, he was close to Lech Wałęsa for a while
He holds a law degree with a PhD and after his studies worked as a teacher and librarian at the University Library in Warsaw.
Nationalist ethos
Both parents were active in the nationalist resistance movement during WW2. He is characterised by strong nationalist views, which is probably crucial to his worldview.
Apart from a period from 1993-1997, Jarosław Kaczyński has been a member of parliament continuously since 1989. Ran for Polish president in 2010 , where he lost to Bronisław Komorowski in the second round of the election. One of his key issues has been a clean up after the communist regime (until 1989) and a tough approach to crime and corruption.
In politics since the early 1980s
In the 1980s, he was a member of the Polish opposition to the Communist Party, focussed on human rights and was one of the founders of the Polish Helsinki Committee for Human Rights. He was not interned during the 1981-1983 state of emergency and participated as a counsellor during the 1988 Gdansk strikes. 1989-1990 he was editor of the Solidarity weekly newspaper, then head of President Wałęsa’s chancellery. Soon after, however, he fell out with the president.
Founded PiS 2001
Founded Law and Justice (PiS) in 2001 with his twin brother, Lech Kaczyński.
In 2005, PiS won both the presidency and the parliamentary elections, where it was previously agreed that the government would be a coalition between PiS and PO. However, the ideological differences between a nationalist and liberal-western European stance became apparent, and PiS led a government for two years in an attempt to bring about a Polish cultural revolution. The party lost power in the 2007 election. During this government, Jarosław served as Prime Minister for the first time.
Regaining power in 2015
PiS regained power in 2015, although Jarosław has left the post of prime minister to others, while he himself has ruled the party and the prime ministers with a heavy hand. He is responsible for political developments in 2015-2023, during which Poland has taken a more authoritarian turn, isolated itself in foreign policy and implemented political control of the judiciary. At times, he has served as Deputy Prime Minister. Lost the parliamentary election on 15 October 2023.
The chairman’s age clearly affects him and there has been talk of a new PiS chairman for several years, something Jarosław himself recognises the need for, but he clearly finds it difficult to let go of control.
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