Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska

Joanna Grażyna Kluzik-Rostkowska (born December 14, 1963) is a Polish politician and member of the Sejm for Civic Platform.[1][2] She was elected for Law and Justice in 2007, but led a breakaway group in 2010 to form the more liberal Poland Comes First, of which she was leader.[1] She resigned from the party in June 2011, joining Civic Platform following rumors.[3] In November 2013, following a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Kluzik-Rostkowska was appointed to head the Ministry of National Education.[4]

Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska
Minister of National Education
In office
27 November 2013  16 November 2015
PresidentBronisław Komorowski
Andrzej Duda
Prime MinisterDonald Tusk
Ewa Kopacz
Preceded byKrystyna Szumilas
Succeeded byAnna Zalewska
Minister of Labour and Social Policy
In office
13 August 2007  16 November 2007
PresidentLech Kaczyński
Prime MinisterJarosław Kaczyński
Preceded byAnna Kalata
Succeeded byJolanta Fedak
Member of the Sejm
Assumed office
21 October 2007
Constituency9 – Łódź (2007-11)
30 - Rybnik (2011-)
Personal details
Born (1963-12-14) December 14, 1963
Katowice, Poland
Political partyCivic Platform
Other political
affiliations
Law and Justice (2007–10)
Poland Comes First (2010–11)
Alma materUniversity of Warsaw
ProfessionJournalist

Early life

Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska was born on 14 December 1963 in Katowice, Poland.[2] She graduated from the University of Warsaw with an M.A. in Journalism and Political Science.[2] In 1989, she joined Tygodnik Solidarność, becoming a member of the paper's political section before moving on to Express Wieczorny, becoming editor of the newspaper and garnering the attention of Lech Kaczyński, who was then chief of the Presidential Chancellery.[5] In 1996, Kluzik-Rostkowska joined the ranks of Wprost, becoming a political correspondent.[5] She would later join the journal Nowe Państwo in 2000, followed by the ladies weekly Przyjaciółka between 2001 and 2004.[5]

Political career

In 2004, Kluzik-Rostkowska entered Warsaw's municipal bureaucracy, becoming chief specialist of the mayor's press office.[5] Kaczyński, now elected as Mayor of Warsaw, later appointed Kluzik-Rostkowska as head of the mayor's outreach department for women and families.[5] As a member of Law and Justice, Kluzik-Rostkowska ran for a seat in the Sejm during the 2005 parliamentary election, but failed to be elected.[5] Nevertheless, she joined the government of incoming Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, who made Kluzik-Rostkowska deputy head of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy.[5] Before joining the ministry, Kluzik-Rostkowska voiced support for in vitro fertilisation during a media interview, prompting one of the government's junior coalition partners, the League of Polish Families, to threaten the coalition of withdrawing its support.[5] However, the League failed to block Kluzik-Rostkowska's nomination, who later became head of the ministry's commission on the equal status of men and women.[5]

From August to November 2007, Kluzik-Rostkowska served as the Minister of Labour and Social Policy under the government of Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński.[5] Kluzik-Rostkowska replaced Minister Anna Kalata of Self-Defence during a cabinet reshuffle following Self-Defence's exit from the Law and Justice-led government.[6] Despite the Kaczyński government's defeat in the 2007 parliamentary election, Kluzik-Rostkowska was elected to a seat in the Sejm.[5]

In 2010, Kluzik-Rostkowska presided over Jarosław Kaczyński's campaign during the 2010 presidential election, called 'Poland Comes First'.[1] A leading party moderate, she was ejected from Law and Justice after hinting of her candidacy for the party's leadership "if need be".[7] Having left, she established Poland Comes First, a new political grouping with other Law and Justice dissidents including Sejm representatives Elżbieta Jakubiak and Paweł Poncyljusz, and MEPs Adam Bielan and Michał Kamiński.[1][8]

She resigned from the party leadership on 5 June 2011,[9] prompting rumors of her leaving the party altogether to join Civic Platform.[10] Following her defection to Civic Platform's ranks, Kluzik-Rostkowska described her decision as to "do everything [to ensure] that Law and Justice do not return to power."[5] She was reelected to the Sejm as a member of Civic Platform in the 2011 parliamentary election, representing Rybnik.[5]

In November 2013, Kluzik-Rostkowska was appointed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk as the next Minister of National Education, replacing Krystyna Szumilas.[4]

Footnotes

  1. K.T. (1 December 2010). "An interview with Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska". The Economist. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  2. Sjem webpage
  3. "In the spotlight: Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska". Warsaw Business Journal. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  4. "Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska nową minister edukacji narodowej". Dziennik Gazeta Prawna. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  5. "Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska będzie nową minister edukacji". Gazeta Wyborcza. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  6. Gera, Vanessa (13 August 2007). "4 Polish Cabinet Ministers Dismissed". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  7. "Law and Justice kick out party dissident Kluzik-Rostkowska". Polskie Radio. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  8. "Law and Justice breakaway politicians form new 'association'". Polskie Radio. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  9. "End of the line for fledgling party?". Polskie Radio. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  10. "New party strangled at birth?". Polskie Radio. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
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