Aleksander Kwaśniewski is a Polish politician and journalist. He won the presidential election in 1995, his campaign slogans being “Let’s choose the future” (Wybierzmy przyszłość) and “A Poland for all” (Wspólna Polska). His political course resembled that of former President Wałęsa’s in several key respects, such as the pursuit of closer ties to the European Union and NATO. Kwaśniewski also continued the transition to a market economy and the privatization of state-owned enterprises. His greatest achievement was his ability to bring about a new Constitution of Poland which became effective in July 1997.
He was an author of the 2002 Riga Initiative, a forum for cooperation between Central European states, aimed towards further enlargement of NATO and the European Union. Under Kwaśniewski’s leadership, Poland became a strong ally of the United States in the War on Terror. Polish membership of the European Union became a reality on 1 May 2004, during Kwaśniewski’s second term.