Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz
Władysław Marcin Kosiniak-Kamysz[1] (born 10 August 1981) is a Polish physician and politician, who has served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, and Minister of National Defence since 2023. He has also served as the chairman of the Polish People's Party (PSL) since 2015. 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.
Early life
Family
Kosiniak-Kamysz was born in Kraków in 1981, with his family originating from Siedliszowice, a village in Lesser 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 a constant lack of resources, health care at a technological level began to catch up with the West.[2] His uncle is Zenon Kosiniak-Kamysz, politician and diplomat.[3] 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
He 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.[4] In 2010, Kosiniak-Kamysz obtained his doctorate in medical science along 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.[5][4] 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
Kosiniak-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.[6] Since Jacek Majchrowski was the mayor of Kraków, he was able to take his seat in the city council of Krakow.[7]
On 18 August 2011 he was appointed as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs in Donald Tusk's second cabinet.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]
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;[11][12] though the current president Andrzej Duda had a large advantage above him (about 30% or more). Finally, Kosiniak-Kamysz received 2.36%.[13]
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.[14]
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."[15]
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.[16][17]
Personal life
He divorced his first wife in 2016.[18] He married Paulina Kosiniak-Kamysz in 2019, with whom he has two daughters and a son.[19]
References
- Back to citation Polish pronunciation: [vwaˈdɘ.swaf ˈmar.t͡ɕin kɔ.ɕi.ɲakˈka.mɘʂ]
- Back to citation Ludzie wprost, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz Archived 2013-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, recovered on 19 November 2011
- Back to citation "Rodzina Kosiniak-Kamyszów jak klan Kennedych. Polityczna dynastia z Krakowa [ZDJĘCIA]". Portal i.pl (in Polish). 2011-11-25. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
- Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Gazeta.pl, Władysław Kosiniak - Kamysz będzie nowym ministrem pracy, 17. November 2011
- Back to citation Katedra Chorób Wewnętrznych i Medycyny Wsi
- Back to citation Website der Staatlichen Wahlkommission, Okręg 3 - Kosiniak-Kamysz Władysław Marcin, 3 December 2010
- Back to citation Rada Miasta Krakowa, Uchwała Nr. IV/25/10, 13 December 2010. Online (PDF-Datei)
- Back to citation "Website des Polnischen Präsidenten, Prezydent powołał rząd Donalda Tuska, 18 November 2011". Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- Back to citation Minister pracy Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz nowym prezesem PSL (Labor minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz is the new chief of PSL), TVP Info, 7 November 2015
- Back to citation "Wyniki pierwszego głosowania". Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza. 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- Back to citation "Andrzej Duda wygrywa w I turze, Kosiniak wyprzedza Kidawę!". wpolityce.pl. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- Back to citation "Kwietniowy sondaż prezydencki IBSP". Stanpolityki. 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- Back to citation "Wyniki wyborów 2019 do Sejmu RP". Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza. 2019-10-13. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
- Back to citation "Incoming Polish PM Tusk presents cabinet and programme ahead of confidence vote". Notes from Poland. 12 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- Back to citation "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.
- Back to citation "Poland emphasizes the need to address historical issues for Ukraine's EU accession". polskieradio.pl. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- Back to citation Olha Hlushchenko. "Ukraine can't join EU without resolving Volyn tragedy issue – Polish Defence Minister". pravda.ua. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- Back to citation 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
- Back to citation "Kosiniak-Kamysz znowu został ojcem". onet.pl. 28 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
- Back to citation Jenczmionka-Błędowska, Patrycja (2020-02-24). "Kosiniak-Kamysz: Należy wyprowadzić politykę z Kościoła". Radio Rodzina. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2020-02-24.