Fourty-nine percent of Poles claim that electing General Wojciech Jaruzelski for president was not satisfying but was adequate for the then-political and social situation of the country, according to a CBOS poll.

 Almost twenty-five percent of Poles think that Jaruzelski was a good choice for president (23 percent), while only fifteen percent criticize the choice.

CBOS maintains, however, that the social view of the former President of the People’s Republic of Poland is ambiguous because it is dependent upon how the man has worked himself into social memory: a slim majority believes that he will go down in history negatively.

In July 1989, Jaruzelski was chosen by the National Assembly as the President of the People’s Republic of Poland. After twenty years, CBOS asked how Poles think of the General today as an actor in politics and transformation.

In terms of assessing Jaruzelski as an influence on the development of democracy in Poland, 36 percent of respondents think he was influential while 33 percent believe that the then-head of state slowed down the democratic transformation of the country.

The poll took place between 28-2 June 2009, covering a representative sampling of the population. On 4 June, Poland celebrated the twentieth anniversary of free elections in the country. (mmj)