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Presidents and democratization in Poland: The roles of Lech Wałesa and Aleksander Kwaśniewski in building a new polity

2000; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 16; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/13523270008415440

1743-9116

Frances Millard,

European and International Law Studies

Comparative studies of post‐communist presidencies have focused mainly on the formal powers of presidencies. Such studies should be complemented by empirical studies of how presidents actually use these powers, especially as the role of personality appears very strong in the early stages of institution‐building. In Poland president and former Solidarity leader Lech Wałesa lacked appreciation of the need for political bargaining and compromise and failed to build a political base. He continued his pre‐1989 strategy of confrontation, both with parliament and with government. His system‐building initiatives were unconvincing and his influence on subsequent institutional developments was largely negative. The ex‐communist Aleksander Kwaśniewski, by contrast, benefited from his considerable political experience and solid political backing to carve out a self‐conscious, overt and productive system‐shaping role. The reduction in formal presidential powers in 1997 did not reduce the capacity of the president to influence the polity.