thumb|Pawlak in 1994

thumb|right|Deputy Prime Minister W. Pawlak at the World Economic Forum on Europe and Central Asia in Istanbul 2008

Waldemar Pawlak (born 5 September 1959) is a Polish politician. He has twice served as Prime Minister of Poland, briefly in 1992 and again from 1993 to 1995. From November 2007 to November 2012 he served as Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Economy. Pawlak remains Poland's youngest prime minister to date.

He is also a long-time commander of the Polish Volunteer fire department, holding the rank of Brigadier General. Since 2015 Pawlak is workstream leader for the AMU (Agency for the Modernisation of Ukraine), where he contributes his expertise in economy.

Early life, education and early political career

Pawlak was born in the village of Model, Masovian Voivodeship on 5 September 1959. He is a graduate of the Warsaw University of Technology, completing his education with an engineering degree. While he was a student, he actively participated in student strikes against Poland's martial law policy from 1981 to 1983. Following his graduation, he briefly ran a small 17-hectare farm in eastern Poland. This move would help popularize him with Polish farmers during his later political career.

In 1984, Pawlak became a computer teacher in Kamionka (near Pacyna). His political career began in 1985, when he joined the United People's Party. After 1990, like many UPP members, he joined the UPP's successor, the Polish People's Party. He was elected from UPP office to the Contract Sejm (1989) and has remained a member of Sejm since then. He became leader (Prezes) of the UPP in 1991.

Premiership of Waldemar Pawlak

First Premiership

On 5 June 1992, 00:00 AM, after a vote of no confidence was approved, with 273 in favour and 119 against, Jan Olszewski was forced to resign as prime minister and his cabinet was immediately replaced in an event known as the nightshift ("Nocna zmiana"). After Olszewski's dismissal, President Lech Wałęsa designated the little-known and inexperienced Pawlak as caretaker prime minister with the mission, to form a new coalition government with agrarians, Christian democrats and liberals. Pawlak's potential partners, the Democratic Union and the Confederation of Independent Poland were not ready to agree on a compromise programme. The fact was that Pawlak and nobody else was called upon to form a new government that was nevertheless a remarkable phenomenon. According to Aleksander Kwaśniewski, it was a 'historical step' towards a 'normalization' of Polish political and party life.

After 33 days as a caretaker, Pawlak failed to gain support from the Sejm majority and failed in a vote of confidence. Pawlak was forced to resign as prime minister and the President replaced him with Hanna Suchocka, who won support from the majority and successfully formed a coalition with the Democratic Union, Christian National Union, Liberal Democratic Congress, Peasants' Agreement, People's Christian Party, Party of Christian Democrats and Polish Beer-Lovers' Party. Pawlak's failure paved the way for another political coalition.

Since Pawlak's first cabinet did not receive support from the Sejm, at this time, Pawlak had no official ministers, only temporary chiefs of executive branches. His first cabinet was the briefest government during this period that lasted only 33 days, this was a notable period commonly known as Pawlak's 33 days (33 dni Pawlaka). Although Pawlak failed to form a government, he gained considerable respect from his 33 days in office, and the experiences gained from this short stint in office helped him win his second premiership in 1993.

Second Premiership

The Polish People's Party and the social democratic, post-communist Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) won the 1993 election in a landslide, holding a super-majority and the support of the socialist-agrarian government, with Pawlak as prime minister again. Although Pawlaks cabinet included Józef Oleksy of the SLD as Sejm Marshal, influential SLD leader Aleksander Kwaśniewski remained a Sejm Member without any special appointments.

Following this slight, Prime Minister Pawlak and Kwaśniewski soon found themselves at bitter political odds. Kwaśniewski reportedly had an ambition to become "Prime Minister de facto", while Pawlak wanted to retain the power of his office. Both leaders used their parties to fight for power.

Pawlak was initially in an informal alliance with President Wałęsa against the SLD. However, their good political relations soon dissipated. In many ways, Pawlak was seen as an agrarian that represented the Polish farmer first and foremost.

The PSL suffered a great political disaster during the 1997 parliamentary elections and became the smallest party in the Sejm (from 132 seats in 1993 to just 27).

After the SLD won decisively in the 2001 parliamentary election Kalinowski became deputy of the new Prime Minister Leszek Miller when the PSL joined the coalition. Pawlak did not play a major role during this period.

2005 political comeback

Pawlak became leader of the PSL in 2005 after a period of internal turmoil caused by a steady decline in the party's popularity. Following this political victory, Pawlak became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy in the liberal Civic Platform (PO)-PSL government, formed after the 2007 parliamentary election, under Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Although PSL remained the smallest party represented in the Sejm, Pawlak is often cited as having achieved a major political victory. During his time in the party chair his party enjoyed better electoral results, the elimination of major competition among agrarian voters from the also agrarian dominated party (Samoobrona), and the resumption of major influence in rural areas. Additionally, PSL was put in charge of three cabinet posts in the Tusk government. (Without the PSL votes, the PO would not have a Sejm majority, even though it easily accounts for the biggest political group in the sitting parliament.)

Personal life

Pawlak is married and has 2 children.