Donald Tusk

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Donald Franciszek Tusk, born on April 22, 1957 in Gdańsk, is a Polish politician, co-founder and now chairman of the moderately conservative Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska).

He was one of several vice-speakers of the Sejm (2001-2005), the lower house of Polish parliament. Prior to co-founding the Citizens' Platform in 2001, he was a prominent member of the Liberal Democratic Congress (Kongres Liberalno-Demokratyczny) and the Freedom Union (Unia Wolności). He quit the Freedom Union after he failed to win the party's chairmanship in a race against Bronisław Geremek.

Tusks's political position combines strong support of a free market economy without government interference with social conservatism. As of 2004, as a Sejm member, Tusk represents the constituency of Gdynia-Słupsk. In 2005, the Civic Platform nominated him for that year's presidential election, where he lost in the second round to Lech Kaczyński.

Both of Donald Tusk's parents were citizens of the Free City of Danzig. One of Tusk's grandfathers was forced to join the German Army, Wehrmacht, during World War II. He deserted about 10 days later, and joined Polish Armed Forces in the West. During the Polish election in 2005, it was claimed by Jacek Kurski, the assistant of Lech Kaczynski, that Tusk's grandfather served as a voluntar in the German Army during the second world war.

Tusk is married and has two children, a son (Michał) and a daughter (Katarzyna).

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