Mazowiecki, Tadeusz [key], 1927–2013, Polish journalist and political leader, prime minister of Poland (Aug., 1989– Jan., 1991). He attended Warsaw Univ. and from 1948 wrote for several Roman Catholic publications. First elected to the Polish parliament in 1961, as an independent, non-Communist candidate, he was barred from running for reelection in 1972 because of his increasing anti-Communist activities. Mazowiecki helped form the Solidarity movement (1980), becoming the editor (1981) of its weekly magazine. He was arrested during the government crackdown (Dec., 1981) and imprisoned for a year. Throughout the 1980s, he advised Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa and helped form alliances between the leftist intelligentsia and the Polish labor movement. After talks with President Wojciech Jaruzelski that led to elections won (1989) by Solidarity, Mazowiecki was named the first noncommunist prime minister of Poland since the 1940s. Once again a member of parliament (1989–2001), he was an unsuccessful candidate in the 1990 presidential election, which was won by Wałęsa.
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