Władysław Marcin Kosiniak-Kamysz (born 10 August 1981) is a Polish physician and politician. Since 2023, he has served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland and the Minister of National Defence and since 2015, he has served as the chairman of the Polish People's Party (PSL). From 2011 to 2015, he was Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the governments of Donald Tusk and Ewa Kopacz. He was a candidate for president in 2020.
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Early life
editFamily
editKosiniak-Kamysz was born in Kraków during the time of Communist Poland. He was brought up in the tradition of the folk movement. His father, Andrzej Kosiniak-Kamysz, a doctor and politician, served as Minister of Health and Social Welfare under the first non-communist government of Tadeusz Mazowiecki where he waged a constant struggle to ensure that in a situation of permanent lack of resources, health care at a technological level began to catch up with the West.[1] His paternal grandfather and namesake, Władysław, born at the beginning of the First World War, served as a soldier in the 13th Wilno Uhlan Regiment and Farmers' Battalions during the Second World War. After the war, he returned to his hometown of Bieniaszowice, where he ran his farm next to the mouth of the Dunajec to the Vistula, with his grandmother.
Education
editHe studied in Kraków, where his parents moved. Kosiniak-Kamysz attended the Jan III Sobieski High School, Kraków. He subsequently studied medical studies at the Jagiellonian University Medical College until 2006. He became an assistant at the Department of Internal Medicine and Rural Medicine of the Jagiellonian University.[2] In 2010, Kosiniak-Kamysz obtained his doctorate in medical science among with Tomasz Guzik. He received his doctorate based on the thesis labelled "The relationship of gene variation encoding GTP cyclohydrolase with the function of vascular endothelium in patients with type 2 diabetes", in which he studied the genetic determinants of diabetes. Kosiniak-Kamysz conducted scientific research, amongst others at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
He started his first job at the Department of Internal Diseases and Rural Medicine of the Collegium Medicum of the Jagiellonian University, which he held a medical internship there.[3][2] Throughout his studies, Kosiniak-Kamysz was a volunteer of the Volunteer Association of Saint Elijah operated at the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Kraków.
Political career
editKosiniak-Kamysz has always been associated with the Polish People's Party. He co-founded the PSL youth wing - Young People's Forum. Together they represented the people in TVP "Młodzież Kontra", in which they interviewed politicians. In this way, they gained their first skills in politics. Kosiniak-Kamysz took part in 12 electoral campaigns of the Polish People's Party. This was the first time during the 2000 presidential election when he supported Jarosław Kalinowski's organisation by issuing leaflets, hanging posters and collecting signatures for electoral lists.
In the 2010 local elections, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz received 763 votes.[4] Since Jacek Majchrowski was the mayor of Kraków, he was able to take his seat in the city council of Krakow.[5]
On 18 August 2011 he was appointed as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs in Donald Tusk's second cabinet.[6] He served in this post until 16 November 2015.
In the 2015 parliamentary elections, the PSL and Civic Platform lost their parliamentary majority, and since then have been in the opposition. Due to the poor election result and because he did not get a mandate, Janusz Piechociński resigned as party chairman, and Kosiniak-Kamysz succeeded him on 7 November 2015.[7] In 2019, the PSL jointed to the Polish Coalition with political movement Kukiz'15 and political party Union of European Democrats. In 2019 parliamentary election, he received 33 784 votes.[8]
He was one of the main candidates in the 2020 presidential election; in some polls, he obtained the second place, granting him a place in the second round;[9][10] though the current president Andrzej Duda has a large advantage above him (about 30% or more). Finally, Kosiniak-Kamysz received 2.36%.[11]
Following the 2023 parliamentary election and the subsequent formation of Donald Tusk's third government, Kosiniak-Kamysz was appointed minister of national defence and deputy prime minister on 13 December.[12]
In May 2024, Kosiniak-Kamysz attracted some criticism after revealing that he has had an emergency backpack at the ready since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with some saying this did not send a reassuring message about Poland's security. Kosiniak-Kamysz claimed his comments were taken out of context, posting on X that "Preparedness for crisis situations is not only an obligation, but also our responsibility."[13]
In August 2024, he stated in an interview that Ukraine would not enter the European Union until the issue of the exhumation of the Polish victims of the Volhynian Genocide and their proper remembrance is resolved. His words came as a reaction to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba who suggested that this issue should be left for historians.[14][15]
Personal life
editHe divorced his first wife in 2016.[16] He married Paulina Kosiniak-Kamysz in 2019, with whom he has two daughters and a son.[17]
References
edit- ^ Ludzie wprost, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, recovered on 19 November 2011
- ^ a b Gazeta.pl, Władysław Kosiniak - Kamysz będzie nowym ministrem pracy, 17. November 2011[dead link]
- ^ Katedra Chorób Wewnętrznych i Medycyny Wsi
- ^ Website der Staatlichen Wahlkommission, Okręg 3 - Kosiniak-Kamysz Władysław Marcin, 3 December 2010
- ^ Rada Miasta Krakowa, Uchwała Nr. IV/25/10, 13 December 2010. Online (PDF-Datei)
- ^ Website des Polnischen Präsidenten, Prezydent powołał rząd Donalda Tuska, 18 November 2011
- ^ Minister pracy Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz nowym prezesem PSL (Labor minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz is the new chief of PSL), TVP Info, 7 November 2015
- ^ "Wyniki pierwszego głosowania". Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza. 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- ^ "Andrzej Duda wygrywa w I turze, Kosiniak wyprzedza Kidawę!". wpolityce.pl. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- ^ "Kwietniowy sondaż prezydencki IBSP". Stanpolityki. 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- ^ "Wyniki wyborów 2019 do Sejmu RP". Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza. 2019-10-13. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
- ^ "Incoming Polish PM Tusk presents cabinet and programme ahead of confidence vote". Notes from Poland. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "Polish defense minister fends off criticism after he says he keeps an emergency backpack ready". AP News. Associated Press. 9 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ "Poland emphasizes the need to address historical issues for Ukraine's EU accession". polskieradio.pl. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Olha Hlushchenko. "Ukraine can't join EU without resolving Volyn tragedy issue – Polish Defence Minister". pravda.ua. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ ROZWÓD Władysława Kosiniaka-Kamysza i jego żony Agnieszki. Polityka zniszczyła piękne małżeństwo, from Super Express of 19 March 2016, retrieved 17 July 2017. Archived 2016-03-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Kosiniak-Kamysz znowu został ojcem". onet.pl. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- ^ "Kosiniak-Kamysz: Należy wyprowadzić politykę z Kościoła". Radio Rodzina. 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2020-02-24.