List of heads of state of Poland
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Poland |
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This is a list of heads of state of Poland.
Republic of Poland (1918–1939)
Chief of State
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Entered office | Left office | Political party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Józef Piłsudski (1867–1935) |
14 November 1918 | 11 December 1922 | Independent | Provisional Chief of State until 1918. |
President of the Republic
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Entered office | Left office | Political party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gabriel Narutowicz (1865–1922) |
11 December 1922 | 16 December 1922(Died in office) | Independent supported by Polish People's Party "Wyzwolenie" |
First president of Poland. Assassinated after 5 days in the office. | ||
Maciej Rataj (1884–1940) Acting President |
16 December 1922 | 22 December 1922 | Polish People's Party "Piast" | Marshal of the Sejm. | ||
Stanisław Wojciechowski (1869–1953) |
22 December 1922 | 14 May 1926(Deposed) | Polish People's Party "Piast" | Deposed in the May Coup by Marshal Piłsudski. | ||
Maciej Rataj (1884–1940) Acting President |
14 May 1926 | 4 June 1926 | Polish People's Party "Piast" | Marshal of the Sejm. | ||
Ignacy Mościcki (1867–1946) |
4 June 1926 | 30 September 1939 | Sanation | Mościcki's government was exiled to Romania after Poland's defeat in World War II after 17 September. |
Government of the Republic of Poland in Exile (1939–1990)
After the German conquest of Poland, a Polish government-in-exile was formed under the protection of France and Britain. The President of the Republic and the government-in-exile were recognized by the United Kingdom and, later, by the United States until 6 July 1945, when the Western Allies accepted the Communist-led government backed by Stalin. Despite having lost recognition by other governments, the government-in-exile continued in London until the election of Lech Wałęsa as President of the Republic of Poland in December 1990, upon which it handed over its formal powers and the insignia of the Polish Second Republic to President-elect Wałęsa in a ceremony at the Warsaw Royal Castle on 22 December 1990.
The sole internationally recognized President of the exiled government was Władysław Raczkiewicz, who took office after Ignacy Mościcki's resignation in September 1939.
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Entered office | Left office | Political party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Władysław Raczkiewicz (1885–1947) |
30 September 1939 | 6 June 1947(Died in office) | Independent | Raczkiewicz's government lost recognition by the Western allies on 6 July 1945. | ||
August Zaleski (1883–1972) |
9 June 1947 | 7 April 1972(Died in office) | Independent | From 1954 onwards, opposed by the Rada Trzech (Council of Three). | ||
Stanisław Ostrowski (1892–1982) |
9 April 1972 | 24 March 1979 | Independent | |||
Edward Raczyński (1891–1993) |
8 April 1979 | 8 April 1986 | Independent | |||
Kazimierz Sabbat (1913–1989) |
8 April 1986 | 19 July 1989(Died in office) | Independent | |||
Ryszard Kaczorowski (1919–2010) |
19 July 1989 | 22 December 1990 | Independent | Kaczorowski resigned on 22 December 1990, upon the election of Lech Wałęsa as President of the Republic of Poland. |
People's Republic of Poland (1944–1989)
President of the Presidium of the Popular Council
The People's Republic of Poland was founded under Soviet protection on 31 December 1944 and recognized by the United States and the United Kingdom since 6 July 1945.
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Entered office | Left office | Political party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bolesław Bierut (1892–1956) |
31 December 1944 | 5 February 1947 | Polish Workers' Party |
President of the Republic
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Entered office | Left office | Political party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bolesław Bierut (1892–1956) |
5 February 1947 | 20 November 1952 | Polish Workers' Party / Polish United Workers' Party |
From December 1948, also Secretary General of the Polish United Workers' Party. |
Chairman of the Council of State
In 1952, the July Constitution abolished the office of president and made the Council of State the collective head of state, chairmen of which are listed below. Real power rested with the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR), its Central Committee and its secretary general/first secretary.
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Entered office | Left office | Political party | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aleksander Zawadzki (1899–1964) |
20 November 1952 | 7 August 1964(Died in office) | Polish United Workers' Party | Died in office (cancer). | ||
In accordance with the constitution, the vice presidents of the Council of State, Edward Ochab, Stanisław Kulczyński, Oskar R. Lange and Bolesław Podedworny, became collegially acting heads of state. | ||||||
Edward Ochab (1906–1989) |
12 August 1964 | 10 April 1968 | Polish United Workers' Party | |||
Marian Spychalski (1906–1980) |
10 April 1968 | 23 December 1970 | Polish United Workers' Party | |||
Józef Cyrankiewicz (1911–1989) |
23 December 1970 | 28 March 1972 | Polish United Workers' Party | |||
Henryk Jabłoński (1909–2003) |
28 March 1972 | 6 November 1985 | Polish United Workers' Party | |||
Wojciech Jaruzelski (1923–2014) |
6 November 1985 | 19 July 1989 | Polish United Workers' Party | Also, the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party. |
First Secretaries of the Polish United Workers' Party
From 1954 the head of the party was also the Chairman of the Central Committee:
Name (Birth–Death) |
Portrait | Entered office | Left office | Position | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Władysław Gomułka (1905–1982) |
23 November 1943 | 3 September 1948 | First Secretary | ||
Bolesław Bierut (1892–1956) |
22 December 1948 | 12 March 1956(Died in office) | Secretary General | ||
Edward Ochab (1906–1989) |
20 March 1956 | 21 October 1956 | First Secretary | ||
Władysław Gomułka (1905–1982) |
21 October 1956 | 20 December 1970 | |||
Edward Gierek (1913–2001) |
20 December 1970 | 6 September 1980 | |||
Stanisław Kania (1927–2020) |
6 September 1980 | 18 October 1981 | |||
Wojciech Jaruzelski (1923–2014) |
18 October 1981 | 29 July 1989 | |||
Mieczysław Rakowski (1926–2008) |
29 July 1989 | 29 January 1990 |
Republic of Poland (1989–present)
President of the Republic
Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Entered office | Left office | Political party | Notes Previous office | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wojciech Jaruzelski (1923–2014) |
19 July 1989 | 22 December 1990(Resigned) | Polish United Workers' Party(to 30 January 1990) | Following the Polish Round Table Agreement between Polish United Workers' Party and Solidarity, the Council of State was abolished. Its chairman was elected President of the People's Republic by the Parliament. | |
(1) | Independent | |||||
2 | Lech Wałęsa (born 1943) |
22 December 1990 | 22 December 1995 | Solidarity Citizens' Committee | Elected 1990, the first President elected by popular vote. | |
3 | Aleksander Kwaśniewski (born 1954) |
23 December 1995 | 23 December 2000 | Social Democracy | Member of the Sejm (1991–95); elected 1995. | |
(3) | 23 December 2000 | 23 December 2005 | Independent | Re-elected 2000, the first President of Third Republic elected twice. | ||
4 | Lech Kaczyński (1949–2010) |
23 December 2005 | 10 April 2010(Died in office) | Law and Justice | Senator (1989–91), Member of the Sejm (1991-93 and 2001–02), Mayor of Warsaw (2002-2005); elected 2005. Died in an airplane crash, which also claimed the life of the last President of the Government-in-Exile, Ryszard Kaczorowski. | |
– | Bronisław Komorowski (born 1952) Acting President |
10 April 2010 | 8 July 2010 | Civic Platform | Marshal of the Sejm. Resigned as Acting President in order to run as a Civic Platform candidate in the 2010 Presidential election. | |
– | Bogdan Borusewicz (born 1949) Acting President |
8 July 2010 | Civic Platform | Marshal of the Senate. | ||
– | Grzegorz Schetyna (born 1963) Acting President |
8 July 2010 | 6 August 2010 | Civic Platform | Marshal of the Sejm. Served as Acting President until the 2010 Presidential election. | |
5 | Bronisław Komorowski (born 1952) |
6 August 2010 | 6 August 2015 | Civic Platform | Member of the Sejm (1991–2010), Marshal of the Sejm (2007–10); acting (2010); elected 2010. | |
6 | Andrzej Duda (born 1972) |
6 August 2015 | Incumbent | Law and Justice | Member of the Sejm (2011–14), Member of the European Parliament (2014–15);
Duda was the 2015 Law and Justice candidate, but resigned membership on 26 May 2015. He is endorsed by the party as presidential candidate for 2020. | |
(6) | Independent |
See also
- 1990 Polish presidential election
- 1995 Polish presidential election
- 2000 Polish presidential election
- 2005 Polish presidential election
- 2010 Polish presidential election
- 2015 Polish presidential election
- List of Prime Ministers of Poland
- List of Polish monarchs
- List of personal coats of arms of Presidents of Poland