Born on November 15, 1954, in Białogard. A graduate of the Bogusław X Secondary School there. He studied Economics at the University of Gdańsk. An activist of the Socialist Union of Polish Students. Editor-in-chief of the student weekly itd. (1981–1983) and later editor-in-chief of the daily Sztandar Młodych (1981–1985). Member of the Council of Ministers – Minister for Youth Affairs. Chairman of the Social and Political Committee of the Council of Ministers in the governments of Zbigniew Messner and Mieczysław Rakowski (1985–1989). Participant in the Round Table Talks (1989), co-chair of the working group on trade union pluralism (together with Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Roman Sosnowski). Co-founder and Chairman of the National Council of the Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (1990–1995). Co-creator of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) electoral coalition (1991). Member of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) from the Warsaw constituency (1991–1995). Chairman of the SLD Parliamentary Club (1991–1995). Chairman of the Constitutional Committee of the National Assembly (1993–1995). President of the Republic of Poland (1995–2005).