Bronisław Komorowski

Bronisław Komorowski in 2015

Bronisław Maria Komorowski (born 4 June 1952) is a Polish politician and historian who served as President of Poland from 2010 to 2015. Komorowski served as Minister of Defence from 2000 to 2001. As Marshal of the Sejm (Speaker of the lower house of Parliament), Komorowski exercised the powers and duties of head of state following the death of President Lech Kaczyński in a plane crash on 10 April 2010.

On 25 May 2015, Komorowski conceded the presidency of Poland to the rival candidate Andrzej Duda, after the latter won the second round of the 2015 presidential election.

Quotes

• My main message will be that perhaps the United Nations should be reformed to make the institution capable of addressing the threats that really exist today. I think blocking the Security Council on Ukraine is a token, a symptom, of the general weakness of the U.N.
  • "Poland Says Russian Veto Should Be Limited at U.N." in The New York Times (18 September 2014)

• Everybody knows that voters dislike pay increases for politicians, and they enjoy it when money is taken away from politicians.
  • "Ex-president says Polish politicians are poorly paid" in Polskie Radio (10 August 2021)

• We need to think how not to respond only to the crisis in Ukraine, not to extinguish the political, economic and military fire, but to start systematically support the modernization of Ukraine, to help it and itself to realize national goals.
  • "Komorowski: Poland should help Ukraine modernize itself, but not 'to extinguish fire'" in Ukrinform (4 April 2014)

• Poland seeks European solidarity notably by the deepening of the integration process and among other things by the deepening of the principle of solidarity between nations.
  • "Komorowski seeks greater EU involvement for Poland" in Euronews (31 August 2010)

• We do not want to diminish the achievements of others, but we want (...) others to remember that freedom began in Poland.
  • "Free Speech Memorial unveiled in Warsaw" (5 June 2014)

• Communism finished in Poland 25 years ago, on 4th June 1989. We tore down the Iron Curtain of propaganda and lies to be able to live in the truth. We tore down the Iron Curtain which the authorities of the People’s Republic used to hide behind, in order to build a democracy, a system where authorities are held responsible before the citizens. On that day, for the first time, elections were no propagandist fiction but the making of a real choice.
  • "Address in pl. Zamkowy Square" (4 June 2014)

• The wish for freedom is contagious, that's why all tyrants fear it. Freedom seen from close up inspires human strivings. Its triumphant march began in Poland.
  • "President: National tradition source of our strength" (4 June 2014)

• If in so many places we are witness to conflicts that entail the death of thousands of people and humanitarian dramas, this happens as a rule due to a failure to observe fundamental human rights. Entire communities and nations are denied influence over political decisions. Power without control is in most cases, corrupt and self-loving, incapable of lifting countries out of underdevelopment and poverty.
  • "Speech at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly" (26 September 2014)

• We are witnessing the rebirth of nationalist ideology which violates human rights and international law under the cover of humanitarian slogans about protecting minorities. We recognize this all too well from the 1930s.
  • "Polish president warns in Berlin of rebirth of 1930s nationalism" in Reuters (10 September 2014)

• The times of the peace dividend following the end of the Cold War are over.
  • "Polish president warns in Berlin of rebirth of 1930s nationalism" in Reuters (10 September 2014)

• We mustn’t let our hands be bound by commitments to third parties who do not meet their own obligations.
  • "Polish president warns in Berlin of rebirth of 1930s nationalism" in Reuters (10 September 2014)