Polish President Kaczynski Killed in Plane Crush – Bronislaw Komorowski Becomes Acting President

Bronislaw Komorowski, Acting President of Poland

After President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, was killed in a plane crush on April 10, 2010, the marshal of the Sejm (Polish Parliament), Bronislaw Komorowski, became Acting President.

Bronislaw Komorowski was born on June 4, 1952 in Oborniki Slaskie, near Wroclaw, a family with strong traditions of independence and landowners.

In Communist times he was involved in opposition activities. Even as a high school student he took part in the demonstrations, including during the March events in 1968. The first time he was arrested was in December 1971.

During many years of underground activity, he was repeatedly arrested and victimized. Since September 1982 he was editor of the independent, underground magazine “ABC” (Adriatic Sea – Baltic Sea – Black Sea). The letter dealt with the problems of Eastern and Central European countries.

In 1977 he married Anne Dembowska. Bronislaw Komorowski has five children: Sophia, Tadeusz, Maria, Peter and Elizabeth.

In 1980-1981 he worked at the Centre for Social Research Solidarity Mazowsze Region. In the period of martial law and later, until 1989, he was a teacher in a seminary in the lower Niepokalanow, where he taught history.

After 1989 he became a member of the national authorities Polish Community – the association supporting the Poles abroad. He was also president of the Foundation Aid Polish libraries, president of the Association of Euro-Atlantic League and president of Sea and River. Since 1989, he held positions in government service.

In 1989-1990 was director Alexander Hall’s Cabinet in the Office of the Council of Ministers.

In 1991, he was a member of parliament – has already served the sixth term. He started working in the Commission for Polish people outside the country and National Defense, then the Foreign Affairs Committee.

In 1990-1993 he was deputy minister of the function of civil defense for the educational and social rule of T. Mazowiecki, JK Bielecki and H. Suchocka.

From 1997 to 2000, chaired the Parliamentary Committee on National Defence.

In 2000-2001 he was the Minister of National Defense in the government of Jerzy Buzek.

Since 2001, he was Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Defense Committee and a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Belonged to the Freedom Union, where he was, inter alia, Secretary-General, then to the Conservative People’s Party, which was, inter alia, Vice-President. Since 2001, he is a member of the Civic Platform, where he is a chairman of the Mazowsze Region, and since June 2006 he was vice-chairman of the whole of the Civic Platform.

In October 2005 he was entrusted with the function of the Sejm Deputy Marshal V term.

He was elected from a list of the Civic Platform party in the ward No 20 Warszawa II. Obtained the largest number of votes in the history of the province – almost 140 thousand. 5 November 2007, Parliament chose him with 292 votes, the Speaker of the Sejm VI mandate.