Donald Tusk Prime Minister of Poland Date of Birth: 22.04.1957 Country: Poland

1. Biography of Donald Tusk
2. Political Career
3. Premiership
4. Personal Life

Biography of Donald Tusk

Donald Tusk was born on April 22, 1957, in Gdansk, in the northern part of the Polish People's Republic. His ancestors were from the Kashubian Slavic tribe, who lived in Pomerania. Tusk studied at the History Faculty of Gdansk University from 1976 to 1980. During his time at university, he began collaborating with local independent trade unions and became involved in the Solidarity movement.

Political Career

In 1980, Tusk co-founded the Independent Movement of Polish Students (Niezalezne Zrzeszenie Studentow Polskich, NZSP). He also worked as an editor for Wydawnitctwo Morskie publishing house and contributed to newspapers such as Pomerania and Samorzadnoua. After martial law was imposed in Poland in 1981, Tusk engaged in underground activities. He co-founded the underground journal "Pshelend Polityczny" in 1983, which promoted free market values and economic liberalism.

In 1988, Tusk joined the leadership of the Gdansk Liberal Congress and became one of the organizers of the May-August strikes. During the 1980s, he also worked as an industrial climber, participating in painting high chimneys in Gdansk and other cities along the Baltic coast.

In 1990, Tusk played a pivotal role in the creation of the Liberal Democratic Congress (Kongres Liberalno-Demokratyczny, KLD) based on the Gdansk Liberal Congress. He was elected as a member of the Polish Sejm (Parliament) in 1991. After the defeat of the KLD in the 1993 elections, Tusk initiated the merger of the Congress with the Democratic Union (Unia Demokratyczna) to form the Freedom Union (Unia Wolnosci). He served as the deputy leader of the new party and was elected as a vice-marshal in the Polish Senate in 1997.

In 2001, Tusk left the Freedom Union and co-founded the Civic Platform party (Platforma Obywatelska). He became its vice-chairman and later the chairman in 2003. Under his leadership, the party gained significant support in the 2005 parliamentary elections but narrowly lost to the Law and Justice party. Tusk also ran for president in the same year, reaching the second round but ultimately losing to Lech Kaczynski.

Premiership

In the October 2007 parliamentary elections, the Civic Platform party emerged as the winner, and Tusk was appointed as the Prime Minister of Poland. He formed a new government and began his tenure on November 9, 2007. Tusk's premiership focused on economic reforms, EU integration, and strengthening Poland's international position.

Personal Life

Aside from his political career, Tusk is known for his love for the history of Gdansk. He has written several popular books in Poland, including "Byl sobie Gdansk" (There Was Gdansk), "Gdansk 1945," and "Dawny Sopot" (Old Sopot). In 2003, he finished second in the "Tabachenie" competition for the best tobacco sniffer in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland. During his time in the Sejm, Tusk captained the football team of the Prime Minister's Chancellery.

Tusk is married to Malgorzata, an historian by profession. They have two children, a son named Michal, born in 1982, and a daughter named Kasia, born in 1987.