• Source: Cabinet of Tadeusz Mazowiecki

The Cabinet of Tadeusz Mazowiecki, led by Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, came to power following the 1989 legislative election. He was nominated by the President as the Prime Minister on 24 August 1989 in order to form a new government after the Sejm rejected the Communist cabinet of Czesław Kiszczak, and subsequently obtained the mandatory motion of confidence in the Sejm on 12 September 1989. The cabinet resigned on 25 November 1990, and the Sejm accepted the resignation of the cabinet on 14 December, though it continued to perform its duties until the formation of the Cabinet of Jan Krzysztof Bielecki on 4 January 1991.
With a majority of ministers endorsed by the Solidarity trade union, it was the first government in Poland and anywhere in Eastern Europe since the late 1940s not to be dominated by Communists and fellow travelers.




Origins


The Polish Round Table Agreement, signed in April 1989 between the representatives of the ruling Communist PZPR and the opposition Solidarity trade union, did not initially provide for a government led by Solidarity. Only around 35% of the Sejm would be up for free election alongside the entire Senate, giving the Communist-dominated PRON alliance a seemingly guaranteed majority to form a government.
However, in the resulting elections in June, Solidarity-backed candidates won every seat up for election in the Sejm and all but one seat in the Senate. This victory accelerated the dissolution of the Communist coalition. In a July article entitled "Your President, Our Prime Minister," leading Solidarity member Adam Michnik proposed a grand coalition between Solidarity and reformist elements in the regime, in exchange for the former's support for the election of Communist leader Wojciech Jaruzelski as President.
Jaruzelski was elected president on 19 July, and designated Interior Minister Gen. Czesław Kiszczak to lead the government, with the intention of giving Solidarity a few token positions. However, Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa entered into negotiations with the PZPR's longtime satellite parties, the Democratic Party and United People's Party, many of whose members were in debt to Solidarity for endorsing them in the second election round. On 17 August 1989, Wałęsa, Roman Malinowski and Jerzy Jóźwiak announced that Solidarity had formed a coalition with the ZSL and SD, commanding a majority in the Sejm. This denied Kiszczak the chance to form a government, and he resigned.
President Jaruzelski then agreed to appoint a Solidarity member as Prime Minister. Wałęsa proposed Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Bronisław Geremek and Jacek Kuroń as potential candidates, and the coalition partners agreed on the first of the three. Jaruzelski designed Mazowiecki as Prime Minister on 19 August, and the latter was elected by the Sejm on 24 August. The Cabinet was confirmed on 12 September by 402 votes in favor to none against, with 13 abstentions. It was the first government anywhere in Eastern Europe since 1948 with a non-Communist majority, and its appointment was a milestone in the Fall of Communism elsewhere in the region.




Cabinet



Małgorzata Niezabitowska served as government spokesman.




Party breakdown






= At beginning

=




= At end

=




Vote of confidence






Changes in Composition


December 20, 1989
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry Czesław Janicki took office as minister of agriculture and food industries.
Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Bronisław Kamiński took office as minister of environmental protection, natural resources and forestry.
Minister of Transport, shipping and communications Franciszek Wielądek took office as Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs.
Minister for the organization of the Ministry of Communications Marek Kucharski took office as minister of communications.
January 1990
Transformation of the Ministry of Environment and natural resources in the department of environmental protection, natural resources and forestry.
July 6, 1990
Dismissed:
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Food Czesław Janicki.
Deputy Interior Minister Czesław Kiszczak.
Defense minister Florian Siwicki.
Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs Franciszek Wielądek.
Appointed:
Krzysztof Kozłowski for the office of Interior Minister.
Piotr Kołodziejczyk at the office of minister of national defense.
Ewaryst Waligórski for the office of Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs.
July 13, 1990
Ministry of Privatization created.
September 14, 1990
Dismissed:
Communications Minister Marek Kucharski.
Appointed:
Jerzy Slezak for the office of minister of communications.
Janusz Byliński for the office of minister of agriculture and food industries.
Waldemar Kuczyński (Solidarity) in the office of the minister of privatization.




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Cabinet of Tadeusz Mazowiecki
• Tadeusz Mazowiecki
• National unity government
• Polish governments and their composition
• Deputy Prime Minister of Poland
• Izabella Cywińska
• Cabinet of Czesław Kiszczak
• Prime Minister of Poland
• Jan Widacki
• Krzysztof Skubiszewski