Andrzej Bohdan Celiński (; born 26 February 1950 in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

) is a Polish

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. Until 1989 activist of the democratic opposition in Poland. Former Member of

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

. Minister of Culture in the government of Prime Minister Leszek Miller (2001-2002). He was a member of

Social Democracy of Poland The Social Democracy of Poland (, SDPL) is a social-democratic political party in Poland. Foundation The party was founded in April 2004 as a splinter group from the post-communist Democratic Left Alliance (SLD). The SDPL should not be confuse ...

(SdPl), and previously

Democratic Left Alliance Democratic Left Alliance may refer to: * Democratic Left Alliance (Poland) The Democratic Left Alliance () was a social democracy, social-democratic list of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. It was formed on 9 July 1991 as ...

and

Freedom Union Freedom Union can refer to: *Freedom Union – Democratic Union, Czech republic * (''Frælsisfylkingin'') *Freedom Union (Poland) The Freedom Union (, UW) was a liberal democratic political party in Poland that was active from 1994 to 2005, whe ...

. As Sejm Member he was a member of

Left and Democrats Left and Democrats (, LiD) was a centre-left electoral alliance of List of political parties in Poland, political parties in Poland which was created on 3 September 2006, before the Warsaw municipal election of 2006. The coalition's aim was ...

caucus. He is a graduate of

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

(social sciences). After this he became a prominent member of independent scouting movement,

Workers' Defence Committee The Workers' Defense Committee ( , KOR) was a Polish civil society group that was established to give aid to prisoners and their families after the June 1976 protests and ensuing government crackdown. It was a precursor and inspiration for efforts ...

and later

Solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

. He was one of the leaders of independence movement during the communist time in Poland. From September 1980 he was the secretary of the

Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee (or ''Inter-Factory Strike Committee'', , MKS) was an Strike action, action strike committee formed in Gdańsk Shipyard, People's Republic of Poland on 16 August 1980. It was led by Lech Wałęsa and others and i ...

in Gdansk, and then head of the cabinet for the Chairman of

Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the president of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 Polish presidential election, 1990 election, Wałę ...

. Arrested after declaration of

martial law in Poland Martial law in Poland () existed between 13 December 1981 and 22 July 1983. The Polish United Workers' Party, government of the Polish People's Republic drastically restricted everyday life by introducing martial law and a military junta in an a ...

on 13 Debcember 1981; he was incarcerated for 12 months until 7 December 1982. In years 1983-1989 he was a close advisor to Lech Wałęsa. He took part in the Round Table Negotiations that lasted from February to April 1989. Elected Senator from Solidarity he served from 1989 to 1993 (two terms). He later became Sejm member (1993-2005). Originally a member of the Democratic Union and Freedom Union, where he was a member of left-wing, be joined Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) in 1999. He was one of the party vice chairmen. After SLD electoral victory he was named Minister of Culture in

Leszek Miller Leszek Cezary Miller (Polish pronunciation: ; born 3 July 1946) is a Polish politician who served as prime minister of Poland from 2001 to 2004. He has served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2019–2024. From 1989 to 1990, Mill ...

's cabinet. He served in the government from 19 October 2001 until 6 July 2002. He left SLD with a group of fellow MP's, led by

Sejm Marshal The Marshal of the Sejm (, ) is the speaker (chair) of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish Parliament. The office traces its origins to the 15th century. In modern Poland, the full title is Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (). ...

Marek Borowski Marek Stefan Borowski (; born 4 January 1946 in Warsaw, Poland) is a Polish politician. He led the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) for a time and was Speaker of the Sejm (the lower, more powerful, house of Poland's parliament) from 2001 to 2004. ...

and created new party - SdPl. He lost re-election to Sejm in 2005 and SdPl lost all seat as well. However, after SLD, SdPl, Labor Union and Democratic Party created coalition Lewica i Demokraci, he returned to the Sejm. Celiński is a nephew of

Jan Józef Lipski Jan Józef Lipski (26 May 1926 in Warsaw – 10 September 1991 in Kraków) was a Polish critic, literature historian, politician and freemason. As a soldier of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa), he fought in the Warsaw Uprising. Editor of collected w ...

, socialist and opposition leader.

References

External links

Official Website of Andrzej Celiński

''Andrzej Celiński''

Freedom Collection Freedom Collection is a digital repository sponsored by the George W. Bush Institute at the George W. Bush Presidential Center on Southern Methodist University's campus in Dallas, Texas. The collection documents major players in human rights and ...

interview {{DEFAULTSORT:Celinski, Andrzej 1950 births Living people Politicians from Warsaw Culture ministers of Poland Democratic Left Alliance politicians Members of the Senate of Poland 1989–1991 Members of the Senate of Poland 1991–1993 Members of the Polish Sejm 1993–1997 Members of the Polish Sejm 1997–2001 Members of the Polish Sejm 2001–2005 Members of the Polish Sejm 2007–2011 University of Warsaw alumni Polish Round Table Talks participants Members of the Workers' Defence Committee