View source for Lech Kaczyński

{{Short description|President of Poland from 2005 to 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| birth_name          = Lech Aleksander Kaczyński
| image               = File:Lech Kaczyński.jpg
| caption             = Official portrait, 2006
| office              = [[President of Poland]]
| order               = <!-- "Nth President" count removed as a US convention, not used Europe -->
| primeminister       = [[Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz]]<br>[[Jarosław Kaczyński]]<br>[[Donald Tusk]]
| term_start          = 23 December 2005
| term_end            = 10 April 2010
| predecessor         = [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]]
| successor           = [[Bronisław Komorowski]]
| office2             = [[List of city mayors of Warsaw|Mayor of Warsaw]]
| 1blankname2         = {{nowrap|Deputy}}
| 1namedata2          = [[Mirosław Kochalski]]<br>Dorota Safjan<br>[[Sławomir Skrzypek]]<br>[[Władysław Stasiak]]<br>Andrzej Urbański
| term_start2         = 18 November 2002
| term_end2           = 22 December 2005
| predecessor2        = [[Wojciech Kozak]]
| successor2          = [[Mirosław Kochalski]]
| office4             = [[Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Poland|Minister of Justice]]<br />[[Public Prosecutor General (Poland)|Public Prosecutor General]]
| primeminister4      = [[Jerzy Buzek]]
| term_start4         = 12 June 2000
| term_end4           = 4 July 2001
| predecessor4        = [[Hanna Suchocka]]
| successor4          = [[Stanisław Iwanicki]]
| office1             = [[Supreme Audit Office (Poland)|President of the Supreme Audit Office]]
| term_start1         = 14 February 1992
| term_end1           = 8 June 1995
| president1          = [[Lech Wałęsa]]
| primeminister1      = [[Jan Olszewski]]<br />[[Waldemar Pawlak]]<br />[[Hanna Suchocka]]<br />[[Waldemar Pawlak]]<br />[[Józef Oleksy]]
| predecessor1        = [[Walerian Pańko]]
| successor1          = [[Janusz Wojciechowski]]
| office3             = [[Law and Justice (Poland)|Leader of Law and Justice]]
| term_start3         = 13 June 2001
| term_end3           = 18 January 2003
| office5             = Member of the [[Sejm of the Republic of Poland|Sejm]]
| term_start5         = 25 November 1991
| term_end5           = 14 October 1993
| term_start6         = 19 October 2001
| term_end6           = 18 November 2002
| 1blankname3         = {{nowrap|Parliamentary <br />Leader}}
| 1namedata3          = [[Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz]]<br />[[Jarosław Kaczyński]]<br />[[Ludwik Dorn]]
| predecessor3        = ''Position established''
| successor3          = [[Jarosław Kaczyński]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1949|6|18|df=y}}
| birth_place         = Warsaw, Poland
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2010|4|10|1949|6|18|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Smolensk]], Russia
| death_cause         = [[Smolensk air disaster|Airplane crash]]
| party               = [[Independent politician|Independent]] (2005–2010)
| otherparty          = [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] (before 1991) <br />[[Centre Agreement]] (1991–1997) <br />[[Solidarity Electoral Action]] (1997–2001)<br />[[Law and Justice]] (2001–2005)
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Maria Kaczyńska|Maria Mackiewicz]]|1978-2010}}
| children            = 1
| relatives           = [[Jarosław Kaczyński]] (twin brother)
| alma_mater          = {{Unbulleted list|[[University of Warsaw]]|[[University of Gdańsk]] ([[PhD]])}}
| profession          = 
| awards              = [[File:POL Order Orła Białego BAR.svg|40px|Order of the White Eagle]] [[File:POL Polonia Restituta Wielki BAR.svg|40px|Order of the Polonia Restituta]] [[File:Spange des König-Abdulaziz-Ordens.png|40px|Chain of the Order of King Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia)]] [[File:OPMM-co.svg|40px|Order of Malta]] [[File:CZE Rad Bileho Lva 1 tridy BAR.svg|40px|Order of the White Lion]] [[File:Ribbon of an order of king Tomislav.png|40px|Grand Order of King Tomisław]] [[File:GEO National Hero Award BAR.svg|40px|National Hero of Georgia]] [[File:GEO St-George Victory Order BAR.svg|40px|Order of Victory Saint George (Georgia)]] [[File:LTU Order of Vytautas the Great - Grand Cross BAR.svg|40px|Order of Vytautas the Great - Grand Cross]] [[File:MLT National Order of Merit BAR.svg|40px|National Order of Merit]] [[File:OPMM-gcs.svg|40px|Order of Malta]] [[File:PRT Order of Prince Henry - Grand Collar BAR.svg|40px|Order of Prince Henry - Grand Collar]] [[File:ROU Order of the Star of Romania 1999 GCross BAR.svg|40px|Order of the Star of Romania - Grand Cross]] [[File:SVK Rad Bieleho Dvojkriza 2 triedy BAR.svg|40px|Order of the Double White Cross]] [[File:Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 1st 2nd and 3rd Class of Ukraine.png|40px|Order of Prince Jarosław the Wise]] [[File:HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep 1class Collar BAR.svg|40px|Order of Merit of Hungary - Grand Cross]]
| signature           = Lech Kaczyński Signature.svg
| honorific_prefix    = 
| honorific_suffix    = 
| resting_place       = [[Wawel Cathedral]], [[Kraków]], Poland
}}  
'''Lech Aleksander Kaczyński'''{{efn|{{IPA|pl|ˈlɛx alɛkˈsandɛr kaˈt͡ʂɨj̃skʲi|lang|Pl-Lech Kaczyński.ogg}}}} (18 June 1949 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the 4th [[president of Poland]] from 2005 to 2010, when he died in the [[Smolensk air disaster]]. Earlier he served as the [[List of city mayors of Warsaw|city mayor of Warsaw]] from 2002 to 2005. Prior to these tenures, Kaczyński served as President of the [[Supreme Audit Office (Poland)|Supreme Audit Office]] from 1992 to 1995 and later [[Ministry of Justice (Poland)|Minister of Justice]] and [[Public Prosecutor General (Poland)|Public Prosecutor General]] in [[Jerzy Buzek]]'s cabinet from 2000 until his dismissal in July 2001.

Born in [[Warsaw]], he starred in a 1962 Polish film, ''[[The Two Who Stole the Moon]]'', with his identical twin brother [[Jarosław Kaczyński|Jarosław]]. Kaczyński was a graduate of law and administration of [[Warsaw University]]. In 1980, he was awarded his Ph.D. by [[Gdańsk University]]. In 1990, he completed his [[habilitation]] in [[labour and employment law]]. He later assumed professorial positions at [[Gdańsk University]] and [[Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw]]. During the [[communist]] period, Kaczyński was an activist in the pro-democratic [[anti-communist]] movement in Poland, the [[Workers' Defence Committee]], as well as the [[Free Trade Unions of the Coast|Independent Trade Union]] movement. In August 1980, he became an adviser to the [[Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee]] in the [[Gdańsk Shipyard]] and the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] movement. After the communists imposed [[martial law in Poland|martial law]] in December 1981, he was [[interned]] as an "anti-socialist element." After his release, he returned to trade union activities, becoming a member of the underground Solidarity. When [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] was legalized again in the late 1980s, Kaczyński was an active adviser to [[Lech Wałęsa]] and his [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee]] in 1988. From February to April 1989, he participated in the [[Polish Round Table Talks]] along with his brother.

After [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]]'s victory in the [[1989 Polish legislative election]], Kaczyński became a [[senator]] and vice-chairman of the movement. Then in the [[1991 Polish parliamentary election]], he was elected into the [[Sejm]] as a non-party member. He was also the main adviser and supporter of Lech Wałęsa when the latter was elected [[President of Poland]] in December 1990. Wałęsa nominated Kaczyński to be the Security Minister in the [[Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland|Presidential Chancellery]] but fired him in 1992 due to a conflict concerning [[Jan Olszewski]]'s government. In 2001, Kaczyński co-founded the [[Law and Justice]] party, after splitting from the [[Solidarity Electoral Action]] and the [[Christian National Union]], along with his brother.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/world/europe/11kaczynski.html?ref=obituaries "Kaczynski Often a Source of Tension Within E.U."] Obituary ''[[New York Times]]'', 11 April 2010; page A12.</ref><ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-fg-kaczynski-obit11-2010apr11,0,7708093.story "Polish leader known as a feisty battler"] Obituary ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', 11 April 2010; page A13.</ref> Kaczyński was the party's presidential candidate, during the [[2005 Polish presidential election]]. In the first round of voting, Kaczyński received 33.1% of the valid votes. In the second round of voting, Kaczyński received 54.04% of the vote, defeating [[Donald Tusk]], who received 45.96% of the vote. He was sworn in as president on 23 December 2005. On 10 July 2006, Kaczyński appointed his brother as [[Prime Minister of Poland]] upon the resignation of [[Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz]], the brothers then became the first pair of brothers in the world to serve as president and Prime Minister of a country and the only twin brothers to do so, until 2007, when his brother lost the parliamentary election on [[2007 Polish parliamentary election|21 October 2007]], finishing a distant second behind the conservative-liberal party [[Civic Platform]]. His brother was succeeded as prime minister by his former presidential rival Donald Tusk.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.dw.com/en/polish-presidents-twin-brother-becomes-prime-minister/a-2084785|title=Twin Kaczynski brothers become President and Prime Minister of Poland|website=[[Deutsche Welle]] |access-date=26 November 2019}}</ref>

On 10 April 2010, [[Death and state funeral of Lech and Maria Kaczyński|Lech Kaczyński died, along with his wife]], in the [[Smolensk air disaster|crash of a Polish Air Force jet]] that occurred on a landing attempt at [[Smolensk North Airport]] in Russia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/8612825.stm|title=Polish President Lech Kaczynski dies in plane crash |publisher=BBC News  |access-date=10 April 2010 | date=10 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Polish President Lech Kaczynski Killed When Plane Crashed on Approach To Smolensk Airport in Russia | publisher = Sky News | access-date = 10 April 2010 | url = http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Polish-President-Lech-Kaczynski-Killed-When-Plane-Crashed-On-Approach-To-Smolensk-Airport-In-Russia/Article/201004215598482?lpos=World_News_Top_Stories_Header_0&lid=ARTICLE_15598482_Polish_President_Lech_Kaczynski_Killed_When_Plane_Crashed_On_Approach_To_Smolensk_Airport_In_Russia | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100413144443/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Polish-President-Lech-Kaczynski-Killed-When-Plane-Crashed-On-Approach-To-Smolensk-Airport-In-Russia/Article/201004215598482?lpos=World_News_Top_Stories_Header_0&lid=ARTICLE_15598482_Polish_President_Lech_Kaczynski_Killed_When_Plane_Crashed_On_Approach_To_Smolensk_Airport_In_Russia | archive-date = 13 April 2010 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> The aircraft carrying him and some senior Polish officials had crashed while they were travelling to attend ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the [[Katyn massacre]]. He was the first Polish president to die in office since the [[assassination of Gabriel Narutowicz]].

==Early life==
Kaczyński was born in [[Warsaw]], the son of Rajmund<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lech-Kaczynski Lech Kaczyński, president of Poland, at Encyclopaedia Britannica.]</ref> (an engineer who served as a soldier of the [[Armia Krajowa]] in World War II and a veteran of the [[Warsaw Uprising]]),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sejm-wielki.pl/b.php?o=sw.11841 |title=Rajmund Kaczyñski h. Pomian: genealogia (Potomkowie Sejmu Wielkiego) |language=pl |publisher=Sejm-wielki.pl |date=14 December 2004 |access-date=11 April 2010}}</ref> and Jadwiga (a [[philologist]] at the [[Polish Academy of Sciences]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sejm-wielki.pl/b.php?o=sw.11842 |title=Jadwiga Jasiewicz h. Rawicz: genealogia (Potomkowie Sejmu Wielkiego) |language=pl |publisher=Sejm-wielki.pl |access-date=11 April 2010}}</ref> As a child, he starred in a 1962 Polish film, ''[[The Two Who Stole the Moon]]'' (Polish title ''O dwóch takich, co ukradli księżyc''), with his identical twin brother [[Jarosław Kaczyński|Jarosław]].

Kaczyński was a graduate of law and administration of [[Warsaw University]]. In 1980 he was awarded his PhD by [[Gdańsk University]]. In 1990 he completed his [[habilitation]] in [[labour and employment law]]. He later assumed professorial positions at [[Gdańsk University]] and [[Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw]].
[[File:Lech Kaczyński Lech Wałęsa 1657948088892 19910404 VisitPolishPres-29 MOBILE (Kaczyński cropped3).jpg|thumb|Kaczyński in 1991]]

==Opposition to communism==
In the 1970s Kaczyński was an activist in the pro-democratic [[anti-communist]] movement in Poland, the [[Workers' Defence Committee]], as well as the [[Free Trade Unions of the Coast|Independent Trade Union]] movement. In August 1980, he became an adviser to the [[Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee]] in the [[Gdańsk Shipyard]] and the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] movement. After the communists imposed [[martial law in Poland|martial law]] in December 1981, he was [[interned]] as an ''anti-socialist element''. After his release, he returned to trade union activities, becoming a member of the underground Solidarity.

When [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity]] was legalized again in the late 1980s, Kaczyński was an active adviser to [[Lech Wałęsa]] and his [[Solidarity Citizens' Committee|Komitet Obywatelski Solidarność]] in 1988. From February to April 1989, he participated in the [[Polish Round Table|Round Table]] talks.

==Political activity from 1989 to 2005==
Kaczyński was elected [[Senate of Poland|senator]] in the [[1989 Polish legislative elections|elections of June 1989]] and became the vice-chairman of the [[Solidarity (Polish trade union)|Solidarity trade union]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lech-kaczynski-polish-president-and-cofounder-of-the-law-and-justice-party-1942939.html |title=Lech Kaczynski: Polish President and co-founder of the Law and Justice Party |website=independent.co.uk |date=13 April 2010 |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref> In the [[1991 Polish parliamentary election|1991 parliamentary election]], he was elected to the parliament as a non-party member. He was, however, supported by the electoral committee ''[[Center Civic Alliance]]'', closely related but not identical to the political party [[Centre Agreement]] (''Porozumienie Centrum'') led by his brother. He was also the main adviser and supporter of Lech Wałęsa when the latter was elected President of Poland in December 1990. Wałęsa nominated Kaczyński to be the Security Minister in the Presidential Chancellery but fired him in 1992 due to a conflict concerning [[Jan Olszewski]]'s government.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://i.pl/nocna-zmiana-30-lat-temu-odwolano-rzad-jana-olszewskiego/ar/c1-16416205 |language=pl |title="Nocna zmiana". 30 lat temu odwołano rząd Jana Olszewskiego |website=i.pl |author=Marcin Koziestański |date=3 June 2022 |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref>

Kaczyński was the President of the [[Supreme Chamber of Control of the Republic of Poland|Supreme Chamber of Control]] (Najwyższa Izba Kontroli, NIK) from February 1992 to May 1995<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WMP19920070045 |language=pl |title=M.P. 1992 nr 7 poz. 45 |website=isap.sejm.gov.pl |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref> and later [[Minister of Justice of Poland|Minister of Justice]] and [[Public Prosecutor General (Poland)|Attorney General]] in [[Jerzy Buzek]]'s government from June 2000 until his dismissal in July 2001. During this time he was very popular because of his strong stance against [[corruption]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/10/lech.kaczynski.bio/index.html |title=Biography of Poland's Lech Kaczynski |website=cnn.com |date=10 April 2010 |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref>

===Law and Justice===
In 2001 he founded the political party [[Law and Justice]] (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość – PiS), usually labelled 'conservative' by media, with his brother [[Jarosław Kaczyński|Jarosław]]. Lech Kaczyński was the president of the party between 2001 and 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://e-sochaczew.pl/pis-sochaczew/strona-860#:~:text=Pierwszym%20Prezesem%20PiS%20w%202001%20r.%20zosta%C5%82%20Lech,PiS%20i%20Przewodnicz%C4%85cym%20Zarz%C4%85du%20G%C5%82%C3%B3wnego%20by%C5%82%20Jaros%C5%82aw%20Kaczy%C5%84ski. |language=pl |title=Historia PiS |website=e-sochaczew.pl |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref>

===Mayor of Warsaw===

In 2002, Kaczyński was elected [[List of mayors of Warsaw|mayor of Warsaw]] in a [[landslide victory]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/11/lech-kaczynski-obituary |title=Lech Kaczynski obituary |website=theguardian.com |author=Jaroslaw Adamowski |date=11 April 2010 |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref> He started his term in office by declaring war on corruption. He strongly supported the construction of the [[Warsaw Uprising Museum]] and in 2004 appointed a historical panel to estimate material losses that were inflicted upon the city by the Germans in the [[World War II|Second World War]] (an estimated 85% of the city was destroyed in the [[Warsaw Uprising]]) as a direct response to heightened claims coming from [[Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944&ndash;50)|German expellees from Poland]]. The panel estimated the losses to be at least 45.3&nbsp;billion euros ($54&nbsp;billion) in current value. He also supported the construction of the [[POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews|Museum of the History of Polish Jews]] in Warsaw and was one of the signatories of the agreement to finance the project using the city funds.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jewishmuseum.org.pl/pl/cms/muzeum/ |language=pl |title=O muzeum |website=jewishmuseum.org.pl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429212012/http://jewishmuseum.org.pl/pl/cms/muzeum/ |access-date=11 November 2023|archive-date=29 April 2013 }}</ref>

====Interference with LGBT events====
Kaczyński banned the Warsaw [[gay pride parade]] twice in 2004 and again in 2005, locally known as the ''[[Parada Równości]]'' (the Equality Parade), telling protesters that "I respect your right to demonstrate as citizens, but not as homosexuals."<ref name="Taylor 2006">{{cite web | last=Taylor | first=Jerome | title=Poles apart: how gay people suffer under the new regime | website=The Independent | date=1 December 2006 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/poles-apart-how-gay-people-suffer-under-the-new-regime-426564.html | access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref> Additionally, he feared the parade would promote a "homosexual lifestyle" and complained that police did not use enough force in breaking it up by stating "Why was force not used to break up an illegal demonstration?".<ref name="Boyes 2005">{{cite web | last=Boyes | first=Roger | title=New leader finds demons lurking at home and abroad | website=[[The Times]] | date=23 December 2005 | url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/germany/berlin/new-leader-finds-demons-lurking-at-home-and-abroad-0glgvkdlzj0 | access-date=2 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=BBC News: Gay marchers ignore ban in Warsaw|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4084324.stm | date=11 June 2005 | access-date=5 January 2010}}</ref> Kaczyński referred to the organizers of the gay pride parades as "perverts".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newint.org/columns/worldbeaters/2007/04/01/kaczynski/ |title=Two for the price of one, in the shape of Tweedledum and Tweedledee &#124; April 2007 &#124; New Internationalist |date=April 2007 |publisher=Newint.org |access-date=26 May 2010 |archive-date=11 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230911023815/https://newint.org/columns/worldbeaters/2007/04/01/kaczynski |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2005, Kaczyński allowed a counter-demonstration, the "Parade of Normality",<ref>{{cite web|title=Pinknews: Anti-gay Warsaw Mayor, Lech Kaczynski, wins Polish Presidential election|date=26 October 2005 |url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-145.html/}}</ref> organized by the [[All-Polish Youth]], a Catholic nationalist organization opposed to "liberalism, tolerance, and relativism."

In 2007, Poland was [[Bączkowski v Poland|found guilty]] by the [[European Court of Human Rights]] of violating the principle of [[freedom of assembly]] by banning the 2005 Parada Równości under Article 11 of the [[European Convention on Human Rights]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poland.pl/news/article,Polish_gay_activists_win_human_rights_case,id,273489.htm |title=Polish gay activists win human rights case |publisher=Poland.pl |date=4 May 2007 |access-date=11 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206141723/http://www.poland.pl/news/article%2CPolish_gay_activists_win_human_rights_case%2Cid%2C273489.htm |archive-date= 6 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= "CASE OF BĄCZKOWSKI AND OTHERS v. POLAND, Verdict". Page 31 |url= http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int////tkp197/viewhbkm.asp?action=open&table=F69A27FD8FB86142BF01C1166DEA398649&key=25057&sessionId=27075086&skin=hudoc-in-en&attachment=true |access-date= 24 July 2009 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120307082101/http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int////tkp197/viewhbkm.asp?action=open&table=F69A27FD8FB86142BF01C1166DEA398649&key=25057&sessionId=27075086&skin=hudoc-in-en&attachment=true |archive-date= 7 March 2012 |df= dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=whole text of the judgement (en) |url=http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=1&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=B%u0105czkowski&sessionid=27075412&skin=hudoc-en |access-date=24 July 2009 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Presidency 2005–2010==
{{Conservatism in Poland |Politicians}}
===Presidential election===
{{Main|2005 Polish presidential election}}
On 19 March 2005, he formally declared his intention to run for president in the October 2005 election.

In the first round of the elections he polled 33% of the vote, taking second place behind [[Donald Tusk]]. By the second round, however, he had gained the support of [[Radio Maryja]], as well as of two other political parties besides his own: [[Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland]], and the [[Polish People's Party]].

Elected President of the Republic of Poland (he defeated the runner-up [[Donald Tusk]] by polling 8,257,468 votes, constituting 54.04 percent of the vote), Kaczyński assumed office on 23 December 2005, taking an oath before the National Assembly.

===Domestic policy===
[[File:2007 07 15 do 18 kaczynski USA 18.jpg|thumb|Lech Kaczyński with U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] in 2007]]
In his first public speech as president-elect, Kaczyński said that his presidency would pursue the task of ameliorating the Republic, a process which he said would consist of "purging various pathologies from our life, most prominently crime [...], particularly criminal corruption – that entire, great rush to obtain unjust enrichment, a rush that is poisoning society, [and preventing the state from ensuring] elementary social security, health security, basic conditions for the development of the family [and] the security of commerce and the basic conditions for economic development."<ref>{{cite web|title=Speech of the president-elect on his official webpage|url=http://www.president.pl/x.node?id=434|access-date=2 August 2006|archive-date=3 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403043543/http://www.president.pl/x.node?id=434|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During his inauguration he stated several goals he would pursue during his presidency. Among those concerning internal affairs were: increasing social solidarity in Poland, bringing justice to those who were responsible for, or were affected by communist crimes in the People's Republic of Poland, fighting corruption, providing security in economy, and safety for development of family. Kaczyński also stated that he would seek to abolish economic inequalities between various regions of Poland. In his speech he also emphasized combining modernization with tradition and remembering the teachings of [[Pope John Paul II]].

On 21 December 2008, Kaczyński became the first Polish head of state to visit a Polish synagogue and to attend religious services held there. His attendance coincided with the first night of [[Hanukkah]].<ref>[[Associated Press]]. ''[https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081221/ap_on_re_eu/eu_poland_president_hanukkah_2 Polish president visits synagogue for Hanukkah]''. accessed and written 21 December 2008.</ref>

Kaczyński supported the reintroducing the [[death penalty]] in Poland, clashing with the [[European Union]] over the issue in 2006.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5225406.stm|title=Polish leader backs death penalty|date=28 July 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/aug/04/eu.poland|title = Polish leader angers EU with call to restore death penalty| website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date = 3 August 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/world/anger-over-new-death-penalty-call-20060805-ge2uzx.html|title = Anger over new death penalty call|date = 5 August 2006}}</ref>

===Presidential pardons===
From 2005 to 2007, in accordance with article 133 of the [[Constitution of the Republic of Poland]], Kaczyński pardoned 77 people and declined to pardon 550.

===Foreign affairs===
{{Expand section|date=April 2009}}

[[File:Dalia Grybauskaitė and Lech Kaczyński 2010-04-08 (2).jpg|thumb|Meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart, [[Dalia Grybauskaitė]], in [[Vilnius]] at the [[Presidential Palace, Vilnius|Presidential Palace]], 8 April 2010. This was to be Kaczyński's last meeting with a fellow head of state.]]

In [[foreign policy]], Kaczyński noted that many of Poland's problems were related to the lack of [[energy security]] and this issue would have to be resolved to protect Polish interests. Strengthening ties with the United States while continuing to develop relations within the European Union are two main goals of [[Polish foreign affairs]], as well as improving relations with [[France]] and Germany despite several problems in relations with the latter.
Aside from those issues, his immediate goals were to develop a tangible strategic partnership with Ukraine and greater co-operation with the [[Baltic states]], [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]].
He was greatly admired in Israel because he promoted educating Polish youth about the [[Holocaust]]. There was widespread grief in Israel over his death.<ref>[https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ilpiiuACZalmnDagkQMefdoKN7qAD9F12AKO0] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100415024317/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ilpiiuACZalmnDagkQMefdoKN7qAD9F12AKO0|date=15 April 2010}}</ref>

Defense Minister [[Radosław Sikorski]] compared the [[Nord Stream 1|planned Russia to Germany gas pipeline]] to the [[Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact]] and Foreign Minister [[Anna Fotyga]] stated that the pipeline was a threat to Poland's energy security.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/11553/
|title=ENERGY DELIVERIES – Gas Diplomacy
|publisher=[[Warsaw Voice|The Warsaw Voice]]
|date=7 June 2006
|access-date=16 January 2006
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615140249/http://www.warsawvoice.pl/view/11553
|archive-date=15 June 2006

}}</ref>

In November 2006 in [[Helsinki]], at a European Union-Russia meeting, Poland vetoed the launch of EU-Russia partnership talks due to a Russian ban on Polish meat and plant products imports.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/11/24/eudivided.shtml
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20040117185420/http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/11/24/eudivided.shtml
|url-status=usurped
|archive-date=17 January 2004
|title=EU Divided After Poland's Veto Hosts Russia's Putin at Summit
|publisher=MosNews
|date=24 November 2006
|access-date=16 January 2006
}}</ref>

[[File:Lech Kaczynski Ilham Alijew (07).jpg|left|200px|thumb|Lech Kaczyński and president of Azerbaijan [[Ilham Aliyev]], 2008]]
[[File:Hosni_Mubarak_and_Lech_Kaczynski_2008_03_11_(2).jpg|alt=Hosni_Mubarak_and_Lech_Kaczynski_2008_03_11_(2)|left|thumb|200x200px|Lech Kaczyński and president of Egypt [[Hosni Mubarak]], 2008]]
As a reaction to claims by a German exile group [[Preussische Treuhand]], which represents post-1945 [[Expulsion of Germans after World War II|German expellees from Eastern Europe]], the Polish Foreign Minister Fotyga mistakenly threatened to reopen a 1990 Treaty fixing the Oder and Neisse rivers as the border between the two countries instead of the Neighborhood Treaty signed in the same year.<ref>{{cite news
|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,455183,00.html
|title=Poles Angered by German WWII Compensation Claims
|work=Der Spiegel
|date=18 December 2006
|access-date=16 January 2006
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,455516,00.html
|title=Furious Poland Threatens to Re-Open German Border Treaty
|work=Der Spiegel
|date=19 December 2006
|access-date=16 January 2006
}}</ref>
[[File:POL 2007 10 08 lech kaczynski 07.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Kaczyński with French President [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] in Paris, 8 October 2007]]
Following the military conflict between Russia and Georgia in 2008, Kaczyński provided the website of the President of Poland for dissemination of information for blocked by the [[Russian Federation]] Georgian internet portals. In a speech during the Russian aggression against Georgia, Kaczyński predicted: "Today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine, the Baltic States the day after tomorrow, and then perhaps the time will come for my country, Poland!"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.president.pl/news/message-from-the-president-of-the-republic-of-poland,49387 | title=Message from the President of the Republic of Poland | date=24 February 2022 }}</ref>

During a state visit to [[Serbia]] in 2009, Kaczyński said that the Polish government, on the basis of its constitutional competences, decided to recognize [[Kosovo]] and emphasized that he, as the President of the state, did not agree with that.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://glassrbije.org/E/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7209&Itemid=32 |title=Talks Tadic – Kacinsky |publisher=Glassrbije.org |date=14 May 2009 |access-date=11 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418033655/http://glassrbije.org/E/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7209&Itemid=32 |archive-date=18 April 2010 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

==Marriage and family==
Kaczyński married economist [[Maria Kaczyńska]] in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-Co-Lh/Kaczynski-Lech.html |title=Biography |publisher=Notablebiographies.com |access-date=11 April 2010}}</ref> They had one daughter, Marta Kaczyńska-Dubieniecka. His brother is [[Jarosław Kaczyński]], the former Prime Minister of Poland.<ref>{{cite news|last=Dempsey |first=Judy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/world/europe/11kaczynski.html |title=Kaczynski often a source of tension with E.U |work=The New York Times  |date=10 April 2010 |access-date=26 May 2010}}</ref>

==Death==
{{Main|Smolensk air disaster}}

[[File:Tu-154-crash-in-smolensk-20100410-11.jpg|thumb|The wreckage of the Tu-154 at the scene of the crash]]
On 10 April 2010, Polish Air Force Flight 101, a [[Tupolev Tu-154]]M plane was carrying Lech Kaczyński, his wife Maria Kaczyńska, and other members of a Polish delegation (top public and military figures) from [[Warsaw]] to commemorate the [[Katyn massacre]]. The plane crashed while approaching [[Smolensk (air base)|Smolensk Air Base]] in Russia. The governor of [[Smolensk Oblast]] confirmed to the [[Russia 24]] news channel that there were no survivors.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6390NQ20100410|title=Polish president feared dead in Russian plane crash|date=10 April 2010|work=Reuters |access-date=10 April 2010}}</ref> 96 people were killed in the crash, including many of Poland's highest military and civilian leaders.<ref name="BBC8613395">{{cite news | title=Senior Polish figures killed in plane crash |date=11 April 2010 |publisher=BBC News | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8613395.stm |access-date =14 April 2010}}</ref><ref name="BBC8614685">{{cite news | title=Poles to pay tribute to lost President Lech Kaczynski |date=12 April 2010 |publisher=BBC News | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8614685.stm|access-date =12 April 2010}}</ref>

Russian President [[Dmitry Medvedev]] ordered a government commission to investigate the crash. Russia's Prime Minister, [[Vladimir Putin]], was placed in charge of the investigation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=352370&tid=79454 |title=President of Poland Died (Погиб президент Польши) |publisher=Vesti.ru |access-date=11 April 2010}}</ref>

Russian politician [[Valeriya Novodvorskaya]] later claimed the Russian government had murdered Kaczyński.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://grani.ru/Events/Disaster/m.176940.html|script-title=ru:Жестокая посадка|last=Novodvorskaya|first=Valeria|author-link=Valeria Novodvorskaya|date=11 April 2010|publisher=Grani.ru|access-date=12 April 2010|language=ru}}</ref>

===State funeral===
{{Main|Death and state funeral of Lech and Maria Kaczyński}}

[[File:Lech Kaczynski, Maria Kaczynska, Wawel.jpg|left|thumb|Sarcophagus of Lech and Maria in the [[Wawel Castle#Silver Bell Tower|Crypt Under the Tower of Silver Bells]], [[Kraków]]]]
On 11 April 2010, President Kaczyński's body was returned to Poland,<ref name="BBC8614021">{{cite news | title=President Lech Kaczynski's body returns to Poland  |date=11 April 2010 |publisher=BBC News  | url =http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8614021.stm |access-date =14 April 2010}}</ref> where he and his wife [[Lying in state|lay in state]] at the [[Presidential Palace, Warsaw|Presidential Palace]] in Warsaw.<ref name="CBSNews6392799">{{cite news | title=Polish President, Wife Lie in State |date=13 April 2010 | publisher=CBS News| url =https://www.cbsnews.com/news/polish-president-wife-lie-in-state/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318002409/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/13/world/main6392799.shtml |access-date =14 April 2010| url-status=live |archive-date=18 March 2012 }}</ref> The state funeral was held in [[Kraków]] on 18 April 2010. After a Roman Catholic [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]] at [[St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków|St. Mary's Basilica]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/kaczynski-to-rest-among-poland-s-kings-heroes-1.886967|title=Kaczynski to rest among Poland's kings, heroes|date=18 April 2010|publisher=CBC News|access-date=18 April 2010}}</ref> the presidential couple were laid to rest in a coffin, which was placed in the antechamber of the Crypt Under the Tower of Silver Bells beneath the [[Wawel Cathedral]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.pl/national/artykul129715_visualisation-of-presidents-tomb.html|title=Presidential resting place|date=16 April 2010|publisher=[[Polskie Radio]]|access-date=19 April 2010|archive-date=8 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108065755/http://www.thenews.pl/national/artykul129715_visualisation-of-presidents-tomb.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=FoxNews130410>{{Cite news | title= Poland's President Will Be Buried in State Funeral on Sunday|publisher=Fox News| date= 13 April 2010 | url = http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/13/polands-president-buried-state-funeral-sunday/?test=latestnews| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100416162520/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/13/polands-president-buried-state-funeral-sunday/?test=latestnews| url-status = dead| archive-date = 16 April 2010| access-date =14 April 2010}}</ref><ref name=Guardian130410>{{Cite news| title= State funeral for Polish president Lech Kaczynski and wife|work=The Guardian |location=UK|date=13 April 2010 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/apr/13/state-funeral-poland-president-kaczynski | access-date=14 April 2010}}</ref> A significant number of foreign dignitaries were unable to attend the funeral as a result of [[air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption|air travel disruption]] in Europe following the eruption of the [[2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull|Eyjafjallajökull]] volcano in Iceland.<ref name="bbc funeral">{{Cite news | title= Poland holds state funeral for President Lech Kaczynski|publisher=BBC News  | date= 18 April 2010 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8627857.stm| access-date =19 April 2010}}</ref>

===Exhumation and post-mortem===
{{Main|Death and state funeral of Lech and Maria Kaczyński}}

In June 2016, the Polish government announced it would re-open the investigation into the Smolensk jet crash with plans to exhume and autopsy all 96 of the victims.<ref>{{cite news|title=Poland to dig up bodies of victims of 2010 Smolensk presidential jet crash|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/22/poland-to-dig-up-bodies-of-victims-of-2010-smolensk-presidential-jet-crash|access-date=22 October 2017|work=The Guardian|date=21 June 2016}}</ref> On 14 November 2016, the first of ten bodies, including Kaczyński's, were exhumed.<ref>{{cite news|title=Poland exhumes president Lech Kaczyński's remains|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/14/poland-exhumes-presidents-lech-kaczynski-remains|access-date=22 October 2017|work=The Guardian|date=14 November 2016}}</ref> Kaczyński and his wife were reburied on 18 November 2016 after autopsies.<ref>{{cite news|title=Poland president Lech Kaczyński reburied after postmortem|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/19/polands-former-president-lech-kaczynski-reburied-after-postmortem|access-date=22 October 2017|work=The Guardian|date=18 November 2016}}</ref>

By 1 June 2017, exhumations of 27 coffins had been completed and DNA tests confirmed that 24 of those coffins, Kaczyński's among them, showed evidence of mix-ups, including switched bodies, partial sets of remains and multiple remains in one grave.<ref>{{cite news|title=Parts of two bodies found in late Polish president's coffin: official|url=http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/309704,Parts-of-two-bodies-found-in-late-Polish-presidents-coffin-official|access-date=22 October 2017|agency=IAR|publisher=Radio Poland|date=1 June 2017}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

==Honours and awards==
[[File:Detail of the Lech Kaczyński Statue along the Plac Marszałka Józefa Piłsudskiego.jpg|thumb|The statue of Lech Kaczyński in Piłsudski Square, Warsaw]]

=== National honours ===
* {{flag|Poland}}:
**[[File:POL Order Orła Białego BAR.svg|70px]] Knight of the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]]
**[[File:POL Polonia Restituta Wielki BAR.svg|70px]] Grand Cross of the [[Order of Polonia Restituta]]

=== Foreign honours ===
* {{flag|Azerbaijan}}:
** [[File:AZ Heydar Aliyev Order ribbon.png|70px]] Recipient of the [[Heydar Aliyev Order]] (2 July 2009)
* {{flag|Croatia}}:
** [[File:Ribbon of an order of king Tomislav.png|70px]] Recipient of the [[Grand Order of King Tomislav]] (10 January 2008)
* {{flag|Czech Republic}}:
**[[File:CZE Rad Bileho Lva 1 tridy BAR.svg|70px]] Member 1st Class of the [[Order of the White Lion]] (21 January 2010)
*{{flag|Georgia}}:
**[[File:GEO National Hero Award BAR.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Order of National Hero (Georgia)|Order of National Hero of Georgia]] (posthumously, 10 April 2010)<ref>{{cite news|title=Saakashvili: 'Kaczynski Played Amazing Role in Fight for Georgia's freedom'|url=http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=22175|access-date=14 January 2015|work=Civil Georgia|date=10 April 2010}}</ref>
**[[File:GEO St-George Victory Order BAR.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[St. George's Order of Victory]] (23 November 2007)
*{{flag|Hungary}}:
**[[File:HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep (civil) 1class BAR.svg|70px]] Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary]] (18 March 2009)
*{{flag|Lithuania}}:
**[[File:LTU Order of Vytautas the Great - Grand Cross BAR.svg|70px]] Commander Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the [[Order of Vytautas the Great]] (16 April 2009)
*{{flag|Sovereign Military Order of Malta}}:
**[[File:OPMM-co.svg|70px]] Collar of the [[Order pro Merito Melitensi]] (26 February 2009)
**[[File:OPMM-gcs.svg|70px]] Grand Cross Special Class of the [[Order pro Merito Melitensi]] (14 May 2007)
* {{flag|Portugal}}:
**[[File:PRT Order of Prince Henry - Grand Collar BAR.svg|70px]] Grand Collar of the [[Order of Prince Henry]] (2 September 2008)
*{{flag|Romania}}:
**[[File:ROU Order of the Star of Romania 1999 GCross BAR.svg|70px]] Collar of the [[Order of the Star of Romania]] (7 October 2009)
*{{flag|Saudi Arabia}}:
**[[File:SA Order of King Abdulaziz 1kl rib.png|70px]] Collar of the [[Order of Abdulaziz al Saud]] (25 June 2007)
*{{flag|Slovakia}}:
**[[File:SVK Rad Bieleho Dvojkriza 1 triedy BAR.svg|70px]] Member 1st Class of the [[Order of the White Double Cross]] (21 February 2009)<ref>Slovak republic website, [http://www.slovak-republic.org/symbols/honours/ State honours] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413004835/http://www.slovak-republic.org/symbols/honours/ |date=13 April 2016 }} : 1st Class in 2009 (click on "Holders of the Order of the 1st Class White Double Cross" to see the holders' table)</ref>
*{{flag|Ukraine}}:
**[[File:Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 1st 2nd and 3rd Class of Ukraine.png|70px]] Member 1st Class of the [[Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise]] (6 December 2007)

=== Other achievements ===
* {{flag|Georgia}} : Honorary doctorate from the [[Tbilisi State University]] in Georgia (16 April 2007)
* {{flag|South Korea}} : Honorary doctorate from [[Hankuk University of Foreign Studies]] in [[Seoul]] (6 December 2008)
* {{flag|Poland}} : Honorary doctorate from [[Catholic University of Lublin]] (1 July 2009)
* {{flag|Poland}} : Honorary citizen of Warsaw (15 April 2010)

==References==

{{reflist}}
{{notelist}}

==External links==

{{Wikinews|Polish President Lech Kaczyński dies as his plane crashes in Russia | Polish president and first lady lie in state ahead of funeral | Burial site for Polish president Lech Kaczynski draws objections}}
{{wikimedia|collapsible=true}}

* {{in lang|pl|en}} [http://www.prezydent.pl/ official website of the President of the Republic of Poland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717145713/http://www.prezydent.pl/ |date=17 July 2018 }}
* [http://euobserver.com/7/29868 Full text of the speech that President Lech Kaczyński would have delivered at Katyn]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141209215451/http://www.raportnowaka.pl/news.php?typ=news&id=320 Full Genealogy]
* [http://www.doomedsoldiers.com/death-of-a-president-of-Poland-Lech-Kaczynski-in-Russia.html "The Death of a President: Countdown To the Crash of Flight PLF 101" by Leszek Misiak, Grzegorz Wierzchołowski]
* {{IMDb name|id=1007332}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-legal}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Walerian Pańko]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Supreme Audit Office (Poland)|President of the Supreme Audit Office]]|years=1992–1995}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Janusz Wojciechowski]]}}
{{S-off}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Hanna Suchocka]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of Justice (Poland)|Minister of Justice]]|years=2000–2001}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Stanisław Iwanicki]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Wojciech Kozak]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of city mayors of Warsaw|Mayor of Warsaw]]|years=2002–2005}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Mirosław Kochalski]]<br />{{Small|Acting}}}}
|-
{{S-bef|before=[[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Polish heads of state (1918–present)|President of Poland]]|years=2005–2010}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Bronisław Komorowski]]<br /><small>[[Acting President of Poland|Acting]]</small>}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-new|party}}
{{s-ttl|title=Leader of [[Law and Justice]]|years=2001–2003}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jarosław Kaczyński]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Presidents of Poland}}
{{Presidents of Warsaw}}
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{{Jerzy Buzek Cabinet}}
{{Candidates in the Polish presidential election, 1995}}
{{Candidates in the Polish presidential election, 2005}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Portal bar|Film|Poland|Politics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaczynski, Lech}}
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