Editing Aleksander Kwaśniewski (section)

==Early political career (1973–1995)==
From 1973 to 1977, Kwaśniewski studied Transport Economics and Foreign Trade at the [[University of Gdańsk]], although he never graduated.<ref>{{cite book |last=Krasowski |first=Robert |date=2014 |title=Czas gniewu: rozkwit i upadek imperium SLD |url= |location=Warsaw |publisher=Czerwone i czarne |page=22 |isbn=978-83-7700-148-6}}</ref> He became politically active at this time, and joined the ruling [[Polish United Workers' Party]] (PZPR) in 1977, remaining a member until it was dissolved in 1990.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dane osoby z katalogu kierowniczych stanowisk partyjnych i państwowych PRL |trans-title=Data of individuals from the catalog of leadership positions in the party and state of the Polish People's Republic (PRL). |url=https://katalog.bip.ipn.gov.pl/informacje/68767 |access-date=11 November 2023 |website=ipn.gov.pl |language=pl}}</ref>

An activist in the communist student movement until 1982, he held, among other positions, the chairmanship of the University Council of the Socialist Union of Polish Students (SZSP) from 1976 to 1977 and the vice-chairmanship of the [[Gdańsk Voivodeship (1975–1998)|Gdańsk Voivodship]] Union from 1977 to 1979. Kwaśniewski was a member of the SZSP supreme authorities from 1977 to 1982.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dzieje.pl/postacie/aleksander-kwasniewski |language=pl |title=Aleksander Kwaśniewski |website=dzieje.pl |date=1 June 2009 |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref>

[[File:A.T.Kijowski&A.Kwasniewski.jpg|thumb|left|Kwaśniewski (left) on [[Andrzej Tadeusz Kijowski]]'s talk show in December 1994]]
From November 1981 to February 1984 he was the editor-in-chief of the communist-controlled student weekly ''ITD'', then editor-in-chief of the daily communist youth ''[[Sztandar Młodych]]'' from 1984 to 1985. He was a co-founder of the first computer-science periodical in Poland, ''Bajtek'', in 1985. From 1985 to 1987, Kwaśniewski was Minister for Youth Affairs in the [[Zbigniew Messner]] government, and then Chairman of the Committee for Youth and Physical Culture till 1990.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://worldleaders.columbia.edu/directory/aleksander-kwasniewski |title=Aleksander Kwasniewski |website=columbia.edu |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref>

He joined the government of [[Mieczysław Rakowski]], first as a Cabinet Minister and then as chairman of the government Social-Political Committee from October 1988 to September 1989. A participant in the [[Polish Round Table Agreement|Round-Table negotiations]], he co-chaired the task group for trade-union pluralism with [[Tadeusz Mazowiecki]] and Romuald Sosnowski.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mackiewicz |first1=Lubomir |last2=Żołna |first2=Anna |date=1993 |title=Kto jest kim w Polsce: informator biograficzny |trans-title= |url= |url-access= |format= |language=pl |location=Warsaw |publisher=Wydawnictwo Interpress |page=375 |isbn=83-223-2644-0 |quote=}}</ref>

As the PZPR was wound up, he became a founding member of the post-communist [[Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland|Social Democratic Party]] of the Republic of Poland (SdRP) from January to February 1990, and its first chairman until he assumed the presidency in December 1995. He was also one of the founding members of the coalition [[Democratic Left Alliance (Poland)|Democratic Left Alliance]] (SLD) in 1991.<ref>{{cite book |last=Paszkiewicz |first=Krystyna Anna |date=2004 |title= Partie i koalicje polityczne III Rzeczypospolitej |url= |location=Wrocław |publisher=Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego |page= |isbn=83-22924933}}</ref>

Kwaśniewski was an activist in the Student Sports Union from 1975 to 1979 and the [[Polish Olympic Committee]] (PKOL); he later served as PKOL president from 1988 to 1991. Running for the [[Sejm]] from the [[Warsaw]] constituency in 1991, he won the largest number of votes (148,533), although did not win an absolute majority. Kwaśniewski headed the parliamentary caucus of the Democratic Left Alliance in his first and second terms (1991–1995).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://diplomats.pl/member/aleksander-kwasniewski/ |language=pl |title=Aleksander Kwaśniewski |website=diplomats.pl |access-date=11 November 2023}}</ref>

He was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman of the Constitutional Committee of the National Assembly from November 1993 to November 1995.<ref name=":1" />