1. Hanna Suchocka is the first woman to hold this post in Poland and was the 14th woman to be appointed and serve as Prime Minister in the world.
16 Facts About Hanna Suchocka
1. 2.
Hanna Suchocka's grandfather was a university teacher and her grandmother Anna became a member of the first Polish parliament for Poznan after independence in 1918 when women got the right to vote.
3.
Hanna Suchocka went to law school and became a researcher at the University of Poznan, gaining a PhD in Constitutional Law.
4.
Hanna Suchocka was one of only a few MPs who did not to vote in favour of martial law in 1981 and the criminalisation of Solidarity in 1984.
5.
When Solidarity supporters split up into several political parties, Hanna Suchocka joined the centre-liberal Democratic Union and was re-elected to parliament in 1991.
6.
Hanna Suchocka was chosen to the amazement of many male politicians but she was known for her low profile and willingness to make compromises and promote reconciliation.
7.
Hanna Suchocka could be accepted by people who had an antipathy towards more prominent leaders of DU.
8.
Hanna Suchocka declared that her government was for social reconciliation and would lead the country forward in the transformation from communism to capitalism.
9.
Hanna Suchocka was approved by 233 against 61 votes and 113 abstentions Hanna Suchocka quickly formed a cabinet, but it didn't include any other female ministers, although she wanted them.
10.
Hanna Suchocka stayed longer as prime minister than any of her four predecessors, but she did not stay long.
11.
Hanna Suchocka resigned as soon as the new parliament was in place.
12.
In 1994, Hanna Suchocka was one of the founders of a liberal and social-democratic Liberty Union party, which became the country's third-largest political force.
13.
Hanna Suchocka's candidacy stirred controversy amongst some of the activists who co-founded the Solidarity Electoral Action and Centre Agreement.
14.
Hanna Suchocka is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an international network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.
15.
Hanna Suchocka served as Poland's Ambassador to the Holy See from 2002 to 2013.
16.
Hanna Suchocka was a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in the Vatican.