List of Presidents of Poland

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.

Republic of Poland (1918–1939)

• Józef Piłsudski (November 14, 1918 – December 9, 1922, as Chief of State – Naczelnik Państwa).
• Gabriel Narutowicz (December 9 – December 16, 1922), assassinated.
• Stanisław Wojciechowski (December 1922 – May 1926), ousted.
• Ignacy Mościcki (1926 – September 1939).

Polish Government in Exile (1939–1990)

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."

• Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski (September 1939).
• Władysław Raczkiewicz (1939 – 1947).
• August Zaleski (1947 – 1972).
• Stanisław Ostrowski (1972 – 1979).
• Edward Raczyński (1979 – 1986).
• Kazimierz Sabbat (1986 – 1989).
• Ryszard Kaczorowski (1989 – 1990, resigned after the election of Lech Wałęsa).

Republic of Poland (1944–1952)

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.

• Bolesław Bierut (1944 – 1947, as President of the National Country Council – Prezydent Krajowej Rady Narodowej; 1947 – 1952, as President of the Republic of Poland – Prezydent RP).

People's Republic of Poland (1952–1989)

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:

• Aleksander Zawadzki (1952 – 1964).
• Edward Ochab (1964 – 1968).
• Marian Spychalski (1968 – 1970).
• Józef Cyrankiewicz (1970 – 1972).
• Henryk Jabłoński (1972 – 1985).
• Wojciech Jaruzelski (1985 – 1989).

First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party – Pierwszy Sekretarz KC PZPR:

• Bolesław Bierut (1948 – 1956).
• Edward Ochab (March 1956 – Oct. 1956).
• Władysław Gomułka (1956 – 1970).
• Edward Gierek (1970 – 1980).
• Stanisław Kania (1980 – 1981).
• Wojciech Jaruzelski (1981 – 1989).

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).

See also:

• Polish presidential election in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005
• List of Polish rulers
• Lists of incumbents

External link:

• President of Poland site(Polish+English)