Profile

Polish President Lech Kaczynski
Lech Kaczynski, took office after winning the presidential election run-off in October, 2005. Before that, he was Mayor of the country's capital city Warsaw.

 Video

 Photos

People attend a commemoration ceremony for late Polish President Lech Kaczynski and other plane crash victims held at the Pilsudski Square in Warsaw April 17, 2010. (Xinhua/Ma Shijun)


The UN flag is hoisted at half-mast to mourn the deaths of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 87 other members of a Polish delegation who were killed in a plane crash, at the UN Headquarters in New York, April 12, 2010.

A photograph of Poland's late President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria is surrounded by candles and flowers near the presidential palace in Warsaw April 11, 2010.

Soldiers escort the coffin of Polish President Lech Kaczynski at the airport in Warsaw, capital of Poland, April 11, 2010.

People attend a mourning ceremony for Polish President Lech Kaczynski and people on board the crashed Tu-154 aircraft, in Warsaw, capital of Poland, April 11, 2010.

Soldiers carry a coffin with Polish President Lech Kaczynski during a farewell ceremony at the Smolensk airport April 11, 2010.

 
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk (L) lay flowers at the site of a Polish government Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft crash near Smolensk airport April 10, 2010.

 
People present flowers and light candles to mourn for the passed-away Polish President Lech Kaczynski in an air crash in front of the Polish Embassy in Brussels, capital of Belgium, April 10, 2010.

This TV grab taken on April 10, 2010 shows the crash site of a Tupolev Tu-154 plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski near the Smolensk airport in western Russia.

People light candles and place flowers in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw April 10, 2010.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski speaks in front of a Polish government Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft at Krakow airport in this August 8, 2008 file photo.

A November 5, 2008 file photo shows Poland's President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria disembarking from a plane after arriving on an official visit at Ljubljana's airport in Slovenia.


 

A Polish national flag flies in front of the stage for a commemoration ceremony for the plane crash victims at the Pilsudski square in Warsaw, April 17, 2010.  A public memorial service has begun for the 96 victims of last weekend's air crash that killed Poland's president, drawing tens of thousands of mourners to a square in the heart of Warsaw. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Late Polish president's twin brother to run for president

WARSAW, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The opposition Law and Justice ( PiS) has appointed Jaroslaw Kaczynskithe, twin brother of Poland's late president Lech Kaczynski, the party's presidential candidate. Full story

Funeral of Poland's Kaczynski, wife starts in south

KRAKOW, Poland, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria started here on Sunday in southern Poland, live television said. Full story

Poland holds memorial service for plane crash victims

WARSAW, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of thousands of Poles gathered in Warsaw's main square here Saturday to mourn late President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, and the 94 others killed in an April 10 plane crash.  Full story

Polish Presidential election likely to be held on June 20

WARSAW, April 14 (Xinhua) -- The parliament speaker said Wednesday that he would announce the date of the presidential election on April 21, meaning that the election will be held June 20. Full story

Polish Presidential couple to be laid to rest at Wawel Castle

WARSAW, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Polish Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz on Tuesday confirmed that President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria would be buried at the Royal Wawel Castle in Cracow. The mass will be said at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 18. Full story

UN flag at half-mast to mourn Polish president

UNITED NATIONS, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Monday flew its blue and white flag at half-mast at the UN Headquarters in New York to mourn the deaths of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 87 other members of a Polish delegation who were killed in a plane crash on Saturday morning. Full story

World leaders to attend late Polish president's funeral ceremony

WARSAW, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Polish radio on Monday that U.S. President Barack Obama may attend funeral ceremony of Polish president Lech Kaczynski. Full story

No evidence found for pilot to land plane under pressure: Polish official

WARSAW, April 12 (Xinhua) -- So far there is no evidence to show that the pilot was trying to land the president's plane under pressure, said a senior Polish official here Monday. Full story

Photo shows the location of Smolensk Airport on the map. A plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashed near Smolensk airport in western Russia on Saturday, killing 132 people. (Photo: Google Maps)


 Latest

Black box from fatal Presidential plane returns to Poland

Poles divided over president's burial site

 Polish Presidential election likely to be held on June 20

 Gorbachev expresses regret over Polish plane crash

 Polish Presidential couple to be laid to rest at Wawel Castle

 Medvedev may attend Polish president's funeral: spokeswoman

 Poland's presidential couple to be buried in Krakow

 State funeral for Poland's plane crash victims to be held on Saturday

 No evidence found for pilot to land plane under pressure: Polish official

 Late Polish president to be laid out in state Tuesday

 Obama to attend Lech Kaczynski's funeral: Polish FM

 Plane with relatives of plane crash victims leaves Poland for Moscow

 No threats to Poland's economy after presidential plane crash: senior official

 China expresses condolences for death of Polish president

 Polish first lady's body identified

 Crashed Polish plane technically sound: Russian investigators

 Kaczynski's body returned home

 Polish hold two minutes silence for plane crash

 Plane disaster not to endanger Polish economy

 Russia, Poland checking black boxes of crashed plane

 President's plane crash: a "crash" for Poland

 Witnessing the scene of Polish president's plane crash

 All 97 bodies found at the crash site: Russian minister

 Body of Polish president found in crash site: report

 Polish president killed in plane crash in Russia, pilot error suspected

 FLASH: TWO OF FOUR BLACK BOXES OF CRASHED PLANE FOUND: RUSSIAN MINISTER

 FLASH: NINTY-SEVEN KILLED IN POLISH PRESIDENT'S PLANE CRASH: RUSSIAN MINISTER

 FLASH: ONE BLACK BOX OF CRASHED POLISH PRESIDENT'S PLANE FOUND

 FLASH: PILOT ERROR SUSPECTED IN POLISH PRESIDENT'S PLANE CRASH

 Polish president killed in plane crash in Russia, pilot error suspected

 FLASH: Medvedev rushes emergency situations minster to plane crash site near Smolensk: Kremlin

 FLASH: 132 ON BOARD OF CARSHED PLANE OF POLISH PRESIDENT -- RUSSIAN INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE

 FLASH: NO SURVIVORS OF POLISH PRESIDENT'S PLANE CRASH -- RUSSIAN OFFICIAL

 FLASH: 87 KILLED IN POLISH PRESIDENT'S PLANE CRASH IN WESTERN RUSSIA

 FLASH: POLISH FOREIGN MINISTRY CONFIRMS THAT PRESIDENT ON BOARD CRASHED PLANE

 Polish president's plane crashes in western Russia

 Backgrounders

Backgrounder: Major air accidents in recent years

BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- A plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashed near Smolensk airport in western Russia Saturday, killing the president and all 132 people on board.Full story

Backgrounder: Tu-154 plane crashes in recent years

BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- A Tu-154 plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski crashed near Smolensk airport in western Russia Saturday, killing the president and all 96 people on board.

Kaczynski wins Polish presidential run-off

WARSAW, Oct. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Warsaw Mayor Lech Kaczynski has won the presidential election by defeating Donald Tusk of the Civic Platform party in the run-off, the State Election Committee said on Monday.Full story

 Reactions

Czechs to observe mourning day for Polish president

Cambodian PM shares condolences to Polish President's death in plane crash

EU leaders express condolences on Polish president's death

Chinese president offers condolences to Poland over plane crash

Russian leaders send condolences to Poland on plane crash

German chancellor sends condolences to Poland on plane crash

French president expresses sadness at Polish plane crash

Austrian president expresses condolences on Polish president's death

Afghan president expresses condolence over death of Polish president

Sweden's PM expresses condolences to Poland for air tragedy

Greece expresses condolences to Poland for air tragedy

Hungary mourns death of Polish president

Finnish leaders send condolences on Polish President's death

New Zealand offers condolences to Poland after air crash

Canadian PM expresses condolences on the death of Polish President