Lech Aleksander Kaczynski

Born in Warsaw in 1949. Studied law at Warsaw University. In 1971, he moved to Sopot to work as a scholar at the University of Gda?sk. In 1980 he took a doctor''s degree in labor law, and in 1990 he was awarded a post-doctoral degree.

In 1977, he began to work for the Interventions Office of the Worker Defense Committee. A year later be became involved in the activity of Independent Trade Unions. In August 1980 he was nominated as an adviser of the Gda?sk Inter-plant Strike Committee. He was also a delegate to the First National Congress of the „Solidarno??'' Trade Union. Interned during the martial law. When released from internment, he returned to trade union activities. He was a member of the underground Solidarity authorities.

In December 1988, became a member of the Civic Committee with Lech Wa??sa. He took part in the Round Table Talks in the team focused on trade union pluralism. In 1990, he was nominated as the Union''s first deputy chairman involved in the running of the Solidarity Trade Union. He was elected senator in the June 1989 election, and two years later a parliamentary deputy representing the Center Civic Alliance Party. In 1991, he was appointed as the head of the National Security Office at the President''s Chancellery. A year later, in1992, he was nominated as the president of the Supreme Chamber of Control (NIK) and he continued to hold that office until 1995.

In June 2000, Lech Kaczy?ski was nominated as the Minister of Justice by Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek. He soon became the most popular member of the cabinet.

In April 2001, he was elected as the head the National Committee of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) to be elected the party''s president in spring 2001. After the September 2001 parliamentary election he returned to the parliament as the party''s deputy. In autumn 2002 he was elected Warsaw''s mayor with a big advantage over his opponents. He started his term in office by declaring a war against corruption – the so-called „Warsaw connections'' - and by restoring law and order. In March 2005 he officially declared his intention to run as a presidential candidate.

Elected President of the Republic of Poland on October 23, he assumed the office on December 23, 2005 by taking an oath before the National Assembly.

Lech Kaczy?ski''s wife, Maria, is an economist. His daughter Marta graduated from the Department of Law at Gda?sk University. She is married to Piotr, and in 2003 she gave birth to her daughter, Ewa.
Mr. and Mrs. Kaczy?ski are fond of animals. They have two dogs and two cats.

On the 10th of April 2010 a Tupolev Tu-154 plane carrying President Kaczynski and his wife Maria Kaczynska was travelling from Warsaw and crashed whilst approaching Smolensk (air base) at 1056 Moscow time (0656 GMT). The crash occurred in foggy conditions about 1.5km from the airport.

The governor of Smolensk Oblast confirmed for Russia 24 news channel that there were no survivors of the crash. There were 132 people on-board the plane.

On board were also the Governor of Poland Central Bank, Stawomir Skrzypek, the Polish army chief of staff and the Deputy Foreign Minisiter Andrzej Kremer. The party were traveling to Russia to commemorate the Katyn massacre.

Ref. www.president.pl