List of Presidents of Poland Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Following are the successive heads of state of Poland. (See also List of Polish rulers and List of Polish Prime Ministers.) All below were titled President of the Republic of Poland, except as otherwise stated.
The Polish Government in Exile operated pursuant to the Constitution of Poland of April 1935, the legal basis for the government. According to that document, the president was allowed to choose his successor "in wartime, in case his office should become vacant before a peace treaty were signed."
After World War II, the ruling communists retained some of the prewar laws and preserved the institution of President of the Republic of Poland. In 1952, however, the office was abolished and the country's name was changed.
The Council of State was, theoretically, a collective head of state; de facto, however, the most important personage was the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party.
Chairman of the Council of State - Przewodniczący Rady Państwa:
Republic of Poland (1918-1939)
Polish Government in Exile (1939-1990)
Republic of Poland (1944-1952)
People's Republic of Poland (1952-1989)
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party - Pierwszy Sekretarz KC PZPR:
President of the People's Republic of Poland:
- Wojciech Jaruzelski (July 16, 1989 - December 31, 1989, when the country's name was changed).
Republic of Poland (since 1989)
- Wojciech Jaruzelski (January 1, 1990 - December 21, 1990.
- Lech Wałęsa; (1990 - 1995).
- Aleksander Kwaśniewski; (since 1995).
