Kaczynski twin to run for president of Poland

Former Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the identical twin brother of late Polish President Lech Kaczynski, has announced that he will run for the presidency: The BBC’s Adam Easton in Warsaw says his brother could benefit from a significant sympathy vote in the wake of the tragedy. Parliamentary Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski, who became acting head ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.
WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP/Getty Images
WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP/Getty Images
WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Former Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the identical twin brother of late Polish President Lech Kaczynski, has announced that he will run for the presidency:

Former Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the identical twin brother of late Polish President Lech Kaczynski, has announced that he will run for the presidency:

The BBC’s Adam Easton in Warsaw says his brother could benefit from a significant sympathy vote in the wake of the tragedy. Parliamentary Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski, who became acting head of state after the crash, had been preparing to run against Lech Kaczynski.

Opinion polls have suggested that Mr Komorowski will defeat Mr Kaczynski in the snap election on June 20. The election was called after the president, his wife and 94 senior officials were killed in a plane crash in Russia on 10 April.

If elected president, Kaczynski would also face up against Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who defeated him in a 2007 election.

Joshua Keating is a former associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

Read More On Eastern Europe

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.