Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957, Gdańsk) is a conservative-liberal Polish politician, co-founder and chairman of the Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska), and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.
Tusk was officially designated the Prime Minister on 09 November. He has two weeks from that date to form his new cabinet and another two to win a vote of confidence in Parliament. He took office on 16 November. However, his cabinet still needs to move the Motion of Confidence in the Sejm. This is expected to happen on November 26, 2007.
Education
He graduated from the University of Gdańsk with an MA thesis on Józef Piłsudski.
Politics
Tusk was one of several vice-speakers of the Sejm (2001-2005), the lower house of the Polish parliament. Prior to co-founding Civic Platform in 2001, he was a prominent member of the Liberal Democratic Congress (Kongres Liberalno-Demokratyczny) and the Freedom Union (Unia Wolności). He quit the Freedom Union after he failed to win the party's chairmanship in a race against Bronisław Geremek.
Tusk's political position combines strong support of a free market economy without government interference, with social conservatism.As of 2004, Tusk has been a member of the Sejm.
Tusk represented the constituencies of Gdynia-Słupsk (2001-2005) and Gdańsk (2005-2007). As of 2007 he is MP for Warsaw. In 2005, the Civic Platform nominated him as their candidate for 2005 presidential election. He was defeated in the second round by a margin of 46:54 by Lech Kaczyński.
Attacks on his family
During the Polish presidential election of 2005, it was claimed by Jacek Kurski, Lech Kaczyński's assistant, that Tusk's grandfather served as a volunteer in the German Army during World War II.
Both of Donald Tusk's parents were citizens of the Free City of Danzig, and were of Kashubian descent. Tusk's grandfather was conscripted to the German Army during World War II. As a German citizen, he was subject to conscription. Józef Tusk deserted about 10 days later, and joined the Polish Armed Forces in the West.
It has been alleged that Kurski's comments contributed to Lech Kaczyński's election as Polish President.
Biography
Tusk is married and has two children, a son (Michał) and a daughter (Katarzyna). He belongs to the Kashubian minority.
From Wikipedia.org |