View source for Andrzej Lepper

{{Short description|Polish politician (1954–2011)}}
{{Copy edit|date=August 2024}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Andrzej Lepper
| honorific-prefix    = 
| honorific-suffix    = 
| nationality         = [[Polish people|Polish]]
| image               = Andrzej Lepper in his office 2002 (2) (cropped).jpg
| imagesize           = 
| office              = [[Deputy Prime Minister of Poland]]
| term_start          = 5 May 2006
| term_end            = 22 September 2006
| primeminister       = [[Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz]]<br />[[Jarosław Kaczyński]]
| predecessor         = [[Zyta Gilowska]]
| successor           = [[Ludwik Dorn]]
| term_start2         = 16 October 2006
| term_end2           = 9 July 2007
| primeminister2      = [[Jarosław Kaczyński]]
| predecessor2        = [[Ludwik Dorn]]
| successor2          = [[Przemysław Gosiewski]]
| office3             = [[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Poland)|Minister of Agriculture]]
| term_start3         = 5 May 2006
| term_end3           = 22 September 2006
| primeminister3      = [[Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz]]<br />[[Jarosław Kaczyński]]
| predecessor3        = [[Krzysztof Jurgiel]]
| successor3          = [[Jarosław Kaczyński]] <small>(acting)</small>
| term_start4         = 16 October 2006
| term_end4           = 9 July 2007
| primeminister4      = [[Jarosław Kaczyński]]
| predecessor4        = [[Jarosław Kaczyński]] <small>(acting)</small>
| successor4          = [[Wojciech Mojzesowicz]]
| office5             = [[Deputy Marshal of the Sejm]]
| term_start5         = 26 October 2005
| term_end5           = 9 May 2006
| predecessor5        = [[Marek Borowski]]
| successor5          = [[Genowefa Wiśniowska]]
| birth_name          = Andrzej Zbigniew Lepper
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1954|6|13|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Stowięcino]], Poland
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|2011|8|5|1954|6|13|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[Warsaw]], Poland
| party               = [[Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland|Self-Defence of the Republic]]
| profession          = 
}}
{{Agrarianism in Poland |Politicians}}
'''Andrzej Zbigniew Lepper''' ({{IPA|pl|ˈandʐɛj ˈzbiɡɲɛf ˈlɛppɛr|AUD|Pl-Andrzej Zbigniew Lepper.ogg}}; 13 June 1954 – 5 August 2011) was a Polish politician, farmer, and trade unionist who led the [[Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland]], an [[Agrarian socialism|agrarian socialist]] party that, between 2005 and 2007, was the third-largest political party in Poland; in 2006, he briefly formed a [[coalition government]] alongside the ruling [[Law and Justice]] party, serving in the roles of [[Deputy Prime Minister of Poland|Deputy Prime Minister]] and [[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Poland)|Minister of Agriculture]]. He also served as [[Deputy Marshal of the Sejm]] in 2001 and from 2005 to 2006.

Considered a [[far-left]]ist, Lepper was heavily critical of [[capitalism]] and also integrated [[Catholic social teaching]] into his rhetoric; he thought positively of the [[Polish People's Republic]]. He led numerous [[farmers' protest]]s; his supporters were known to frequently block roads. First rising to political notability in the early 1990s following his establishment of Self-Defence in 1992, he was elected to first political office, a seat in the [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship Sejmik]], in 1998, being elected to the [[Sejm]] in 2001 and later removed from office in 2007. During this time, he ran for the office of President four times, in [[1995 Polish presidential election|1995]], [[2000 Polish presidential election|2000]], [[2005 Polish presidential election|2005]] and [[2010 Polish presidential election|2010]].

After he was unelected, Lepper lost much of his political prominence and fell into large debts, ultimately being found hanged in his office in 2011. Although it was ruled a suicide, it has been speculated to be a murder, although there is no common agreement regarding a perpetrator. During and after his career, he was compared to figures such as [[Hugo Chávez]] and [[Evo Morales]].

==Early life==
Lepper was born in [[Stowięcino]], a tiny hamlet of roughly 200 people.<ref name="AIA">{{cite web|last=Araloff|first = Simon|title = Poland's Elections: Andrzej Zbigniew Lepper – Peasantry's Iron Fist|publisher=Axis Information and Analysis|date=3 October 2005|url=http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=410|access-date=23 February 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310194319/http://www.axisglobe.com/article.asp?article=410|archive-date=10 March 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Formerly a thriving community, it became a place of socio-cultural impoverishment and economic struggle since Poland's transformation into a [[market-based economy]]. During this transition period his farm, like most small businesses in [[Poland]], found itself on the verge of bankruptcy, but survived.

A farmer by trade, Lepper completed all coursework required at the State Agricultural Technical School in [[Sypniewo, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship|Sypniewo]], yet did not undertake the final qualifying exam. He also had no formal higher education,<ref name="AIA" /> but was presented with several [[doctor honoris causa]] awards, including by the [[University of Kyiv]] ([[Ukraine]]) in recognition of his work, commitment and outreach.<ref name="AIA" />

Lepper was married and together with his wife Irena had three children.

==Political career==
For two years (1978–1980) he was a member of the [[Polish United Workers' Party]] (PZPR), Poland's equivalent of a formal [[communist party]] during the [[Polish People's Republic]] (PRL; 1947–1989). In 1992 Lepper formed his own political party, an organisation of economically struggling farmers like himself, naming it [[Samoobrona]] ({{lit|[[self-defence]]}}; SO).<ref name="AIA" />

The first time Lepper rose to a position of political leadership was in the summer 1991, when he organized and led a farmer protest movement against the disastrous economic conditions in Polish agriculture and lack of state assistance to those impoverished by the ongoing capitalist transition. Already back then, Lepper was considering proposing an alternative economic system to the capitalist one. The voivodeships of Zamość and Koszalin became important centres of mobilizations around the issue of rural poverty and over-indebtedness. In Zamość, a protest committee was founded on 10 July, while on 27 July, the first iteration of Samoobrona, the Communal Agricultural Self-Defense Committee ({{langx|pl|Gminny Komitet Samoobrony Rolnictwa}}) was founded in Lepper's home village of [[Darłowo]].<ref name="pellen"/>

Rural protests quickly spread and attracted the attention and support of major rural trade unions, such as the [[Rural Solidarity]]. The regional president of Rural Solidarity in West Pomerania, Zbigniew Obrocki, coordinated protests together with the newly created movements and invited several representatives of the local protest committees in Zamość and Darłowo to join the Rural Solidarity's strike based on occupying the Sejm building on 5 October 1991. The representatives invited by Obrocki included Lepper, as a representative of the striking farmers of Darłowo. This action was considered very successful because of how much media coverage and support it gained, and soon divisions emerged between the representatives based on the protest methods.<ref name="pellen"/> Rural Solidarity wanted to preserve their official and civil image by keeping to peaceful protests, while the group organized against Lepper insisted on more confrontational measures. As [[Gazeta Wyborcza]] reported on 11 October:

{{blockquote|text=We came here [in front of Sejm] to discuss agricultural problems, not to demand anything. We don't want to organize a revolt, the peasants aren't going to demonstrate with pitchforks!", [Protest Committee leaders] told journalists at a press conference held yesterday [October 10, 1990]. Nevertheless, profound differences between the demonstrators became apparent at the press conference. Some of them, mainly from the Koszalin voivodship (where a protest committee has been active since July), publicly stated that they did not believe in the effectiveness of these peaceful methods: "The government will only give in when there is bloodshed and dead bodies. The only solution is to show them our strength and invade the city". It was in an electric atmosphere that the press conference ended, without the protest committee being able to specify how long it will be prepared to wait for the government to enter into negotiations.<ref>"Czekamy na kredyt", Gazeta Wyborcza, 11/10/1991, p.2</ref>}}

This difference of opinion led to the formation of the National Committee for the Self-Defence of Agriculture ({{langx|pl|Krajowy Komitet Samoobrony Rolnictwa}}, KKSR), which was an informal formation with no official leadership, but came to be dominated by Lepper. Open clashes with police that took place during the protests of KKSR gained much attention and made the group considered one of the main representatives of protesting farmers. Because of this, Lepper was invited to a meeting with [[Leszek Balcerowicz]] on 24 October. Balcerowicz was the Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, whose name became synonymous with the neoliberal, monetarist and anti-social policies carried out in post-communist Poland. After a two-hours-long conversation, Lepper became convinced that the neoliberal reform pursued by Balcerowicz needed to be stopped at all costs.<ref name="pellen">{{cite journal |title=Un parti, un syndicat ou un mouvement social? Samoobrona, une organisation caméléon dans les jeux politiques polonais post-communistes |language=fr |first=Cédric |last=Pellen |date=26 August 2010 |url=https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00511803/document |journal=10e Congrès de l'AFSP |volume=37}}</ref>

As Lepper reported many years later, the idea to create a trade union and then a political movement was born after a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Leszek Balcerowicz. Lepper said about the meeting: "Everything that happened afterwards – with me and Samoobrona – I therefore owe, to some extent, to that conversation of 10 years ago".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lisiakiewicz |first1=Rafał |date=2014 |title=Miejsce Samoobrony RP w typologii partii politycznych |url=http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1.element.desklight-32dc2c89-2b00-4d84-810d-3e0a323a1c8d |journal=Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego W Krakowie |volume=2 |issue=926 |issn=1898-6447 |language=pl}}</ref> Lepper's disdain towards Balcerowicz became a key element of his political rhetoric – in 2002, he described Balcerowicz as "the greatest pest, destroyer, traitor".<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://bibliotekacyfrowa.eu/Content/35908/35627-0001.pdf |language=pl |title="Samoobrona" na wybory: Moskwa tak, Balcerowicz nie! |first=Krzysztof |last=Tomasik |date=22 April 2002 |journal=Głos Słupski |volume=93 |issue=3159 |issn=1231-8132 |page=1}}</ref>

Lepper's Farmers' Self-Defence Committee first attempted to participate in the [[1991 Polish parliamentary election]] on 27 October. The electoral law for the Sejm and Senate in force at the time allowed committees to register in only one electoral district. His run in the elections was unsuccessful, due – as Lepper claimed – also to his lack of direct participation in the campaign. The list of the Provincial Farmers' Self-Defence Committee opened by the group's leader received only 3247 votes in constituency number 21, covering the then Koszalin and Słupsk voivodeships.<ref name="darlowo">{{cite web |url=https://www.darlowo.pl/jak-na-ziemi-darlowskiej-rodzila-sie-samoobrona-czesc-pierwsza/ |title=Jak na ziemi darłowskiej rodziła się "Samoobrona" (część pierwsza) |date=14 May 2021 |language=pl |website=darlowo.pl |publisher=Archiwum Urzędu Miejskiego w Darłowie |first=Leszek |last=Walkiewicz}}</ref>

While Lepper failed to win a seat, the fact he received over 3000 votes for his name was seen as a demonstration that he could mobilize local networks of farmers in his favor. Because of this, the Provincial Farmers' Self-Defence Committee under which Lepper organized an electoral list together with other farmers was not scrapped, but instead transformed into a trade union and then a political party. According to Lepper, as late as in the summer 1991, the farmer protest committees in Darłowo and Zamość that would form Samoobrona were not planning to become a trade union. However, the autumn hunger strike in Warsaw as well as Lepper's electoral bid in the 1991 elections, made protesting farmers supportive of the idea.<ref name="pellen"/>

On 6 November 1991, Lepper's group organized a hunger strike, which came to be considered "spectacular". According to [[Sciences Po]], the Lepper's hunger strike "established a link between the visible suffering of the strikers and the cause they endorsed". In January 1992, the Trade Union of Agriculture 'Samoobrona' was registered. The political party, which initially appeared under the name Self-Defence Alliance, was instead registered on 12 June 1992. Its membership - apart from representatives of ZZR "Samoobrona" – also included activists from the Metalworkers' Trade Union and a Green faction headed by Jan Bryczkowski.<ref name="pankowski">{{cite book |last1=Pankowski |first1=Rafał |author-link=Rafał Pankowski |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-203-85656-7 |title=The Populist Radical Right in Poland: The Patriots |chapter=Self-Defence: Radical Populism |publisher=Routledge}}</ref>

On 14 November 1991, an agreement was concluded between the protesters and the government, which provided for a halt to the bailiff executions threatening farmers and the establishment of a special Fund and the Restructuring and Debt Relief of Agriculture. In November of the same year, an application was made to the court to register the Trade Union of Agriculture 'Self-Defence'. The ZZR 'Samoobrona' – which brings together farmers and people connected with agriculture – was registered on 10 January 1992. Subsequently, on 27 and 28 March 1992, the First National Congress of the union was held in Warsaw, with representatives of the PSL, the National Union of Farmers and the then Deputy Minister of Agriculture, P. Dąbrowski, among others, attending it as invited guests. Lepper was elected president of the trade union, and a decision was taken to tighten up the forms of protest, setting up, among other things, so-called 'anti-enforcement brigades', which were to deal with thwarting bailiff seizures on indebted farms. [[:pl:Leszek Józef Walkiewicz|Leszek Józef Walkiewicz]] reported that the 'anti-enforcement brigades' of Samoobrona saved more than 1,000 farmers from eviction.<ref name="darlowo"/>

Led by Lepper, the trade unionists consistently demanded the implementation of agreements concerning indebted farmers. They also decided to assert their interests through legal means, applying to the Constitutional Court to examine the compliance of the current banking law allowing variable interest rates on loans. In the absence of appropriate government action, a 100-strong group of trade unionists occupied the Ministry of Agriculture building on 9 April. After a few days, the protesters went on hunger strike, demanding talks with government representatives and at the same time adding to their previous demands for the resignation of Minister G. Janowski.<ref name="darlowo"/> Around one hundred and fifty ZZR Samoobrona activists broke into the Ministry of Agriculture building in Warsaw and set up camp in one of the reception rooms on the first floor. The demonstrators' demands were: implementation of the November agreements, in particular with regard to halting the seizure of the assets of over-indebted farmers, the introduction of agricultural loans at preferential rates, 12% maximum, and a meeting with the Prime Minister.<ref name="pellen"/>

Lepper organised anti-government demonstrations and other actions, most significantly against the politics of the [[Hanna Suchocka|Suchocka]] and [[Jerzy Buzek|Buzek]] governments, both characterised by growing social and socio-economic injustice, especially experienced in the Polish countryside.<ref name="JB/JLT">{{cite book |title=Political Leadership, Parties and Citizens: The personalisation of leadership |author=Jean Blondel |author2=Jean-Louis Thiebault |publisher=Routledge |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-135-17921-2 |pages=316–318 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ELaLAgAAQBAJ&q=Lepper+1977+PZPR |series=The career of Andrzej Lepper: from local protest leader to Deputy Prime Minister}}</ref>

Lepper quickly attracted the interests of the media and politicians, as well as the courts. His party gained notoriety through road blockades, protests and spilling imported grain from trains to protest against the declining prices of agricultural products. While this forced Lepper to endure several arrests and lawsuits, it also allowed him to build a reputation of a defender of the common people.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://counterpoint.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Populist-Fantasies-European-revolts-in-context.pdf |title=Populist Fantasies: European revolts in context |page=390 |publisher=Counterpoint |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-909499-06-5 |author1=Catherine Fieschi |author2=Marley Morris |author3=Lila Caballero}}</ref>

As a party leader, he challenged [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]] in the [[1995 Polish presidential election|1995 presidential election]], receiving 1.3% of the vote. In 2000, Samoobrona organised campaigns [[roadblock (barrier)|blocking major roads]]<ref name="AIA" /> to bring public and mass media attention to the growing impoverishment of Polish agriculture. Lepper won 3.05% of the vote in the [[2000 Polish presidential election|2000 presidential election]]. In the [[2001 Polish parliamentary election|2001 parliamentary election]], Lepper's party entered the lower chamber of the Polish Parliament ([[Sejm]]).<ref name="AIA" /> Lepper was elected from the [[Koszalin]] constituency.<ref name="JB/JLT" />

Lepper's party received 11.4% of the vote and 56 seats in the [[2005 Polish parliamentary election|September 2005 parliamentary election]], making it the third biggest party in the Sejm. Andrzej Lepper stood in the [[2005 Polish presidential election|October 2005 presidential election]] as the party's candidate and received 15% of the vote, the third-highest result.<ref name="JB/JLT" />

After the SLD-PSL government collapsed, Lepper and the Samoobrona were growing increasingly supportive of the emerging Law and Justice party. The electoral collapse of the SLD, which as a fellow left-wing party was now the main competitor of Samoobrona, caused Lepper's party to become the most popular party in Poland, according to the 2004 polls. However, the polls gradually stabilized, and by the time of the [[2004 European Parliament election in Poland]], Samoobrona only won the amount of support it had in 2001.<ref name="liberalsolidar"/>

In the [[2005 Polish presidential election]], Lepper finished third and won 15.1% of the popular vote in the first round, a result that impressed the media. It showed the ability of Samoobrona to win the support of a significant margin of the unemployed, farmers and low-income workers; his campaign was noted for left-wing themes that appealed to nostalgia for communist times, as Lepper's supported often pointed to his socialist statements and biography, such as Lepper being the member of the [[Polish United Workers' Party]], praising the communist secretary [[Edward Gierek]], and recalling his 1990s protests against the government to guarantee state purchase of farm products at a high price. Lepper's margin was attributed to a "wake up call" effect, as he performed the best in places with lowest turnout, mobilizing non-voters to participate in the election.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Rozprawy Społeczne |year=2011 |volume=5 |issue=1 |title=Wybory prezydenckie w latach 2000-2010. Lubelszczyzna versus Polska. Socjologiczno-politologiczna analiza zachowań wyborczych |first=Dawid |last=Błaszczak |publisher=Państwowa Szkoła Wyższa im. Papieża Jana Pawła II w Białej Podlaskiej |page=63 |url=https://rozprawyspoleczne.edu.pl/pdf-111297-41463?filename=41463.pdf}}</ref>

The second round was between [[Donald Tusk]], the leader of centre-right neoliberal [[Civic Platform (Poland)|Civic Platform]] and [[Lech Kaczyński]] of [[Law and Justice]]. Lepper was initially opposed to both candidates, denouncing the election of "sham democracy" of oligarchic character in which "Poles voted for different parties and still Balcerowicz jumped out of the ballot box". By Balcerowicz, Lepper meant that capitalist reforms would continue.<ref name="tomas"/> However, Law and Justice framed the contest as a choice between "solidaristic Poland" and "liberal Poland"; to this end, Law and Justice started promoting state intervention in the economy and redistributive policies that were appealing to both the left-wing electorate as well as Lepper. This convinced Lepper to endorse Kaczyński, stating that it is necessary to defeat "the greater evil of a liberal presidency". This belief in the necessity to prevent neoliberal parties from governing again also led Samoobrona to form the coalition with Law and Justice in 2006, which it considered economically left-leaning.<ref name="liberalsolidar">{{cite journal |year=2007 |first=Aleks |last=Szczerbiak |title=Social Poland' Defeats 'Liberal Poland'? The September–October 2005 Polish Parliamentary and Presidential Elections |volume=23 |issue=2 |journal=Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics |pages=203–232 |doi=10.1080/13523270701317463|url=https://figshare.com/articles/report/_Social_Poland_defeats_liberal_Poland_The_September_-_October_2005_Polish_parliamentary_and_presidential_elections/23362622 }}</ref> In his endorsement of Kaczyński, Lepper argued that left-wing voters must vote against neoliberalism and justified his decision on the basis of Kaczyński's declarations in support of funding social welfare, fighting unemployment and taking a tougher stance towards the European Union.<ref name="lew_endor">{{cite web |url=https://www.lewica.pl/index.php?id=3548&tytul=SLD-nie-popar%B3-nikogo,-Samoobrona-za-Kaczy%F1skim |title=SLD nie poparł nikogo, Samoobrona za Kaczyńskim |date=18 October 2005 |language=pl |website=lewica.pl |first=Grzegorz |last=Ilnicki}}</ref>

Lepper led the Samoobrona party to form a majority coalition with the [[Law and Justice]] (PiS) party in May 2006, assuming the office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture. His tenure was abruptly terminated in September 2006, but he was invited to rejoin [[Jarosław Kaczyński]]'s cabinet on 16 October 2006.<ref name="JB/JLT" />

In 2008, Lepper tried to salvage his political influence. He ran in the [[2008 Polish Senate by-election]] in [[Krosno]], which was contested by 12 other candidates.<ref name="wizerunek">{{cite journal |last1=Drozd-Piasecka |first1=Mirosława |date=2012 |title=Wizerunek przywódcy Samoobrony Andrzeja Leppera w przekazie medialnym |url=https://rcin.org.pl/Content/61116/PDF/WA308_76862_P327_Wizerunek-przywodcy_I.pdf |journal=Etnografia Polska |volume=56 |issue=1–2 |pages=5–30 |publisher=Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology |language=pl}}</ref> The election was organized because the incumbent senator of the Krosno district, [[Andrzej Mazurkiewicz (politician)|Andrzej Mazurkiewicz]] of Law and Justice, suddenly died on 21 March 2008.<ref name="2008_senat">{{cite web |url=https://tvn24.pl/polska/lepper-na-czele-partii-nic-ra55085-ls3706425 |title=Lepper na czele "partii nic"? |date=14 April 2008 |language=pl |website=[[TVN24]]}}</ref> Despite being a by-election to fill a Senate seat of the deceased senator, it attracted media attention as it was the only election of 2008 in Poland, and it fielded a few nationwide recognizable candidates such as Lepper. Lepper believed that he had a chance to succeed - he believed that since Krosno was overwhelmingly rural, 'a farmer will always get along with a farmer'. [[Polityka]] noted that Lepper "is the most recognisable politician of the dozen or so: wherever he appears, people want to have their photo taken with him."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kraj/259001,1,dwunastu-wspanialych.read |title=Dwunastu wspaniałych |date=12 June 2008 |language=pl |first=Jagienka |last=Wilczak |website=[[Polityka]]}}</ref> Lepper was undaunted by the criticism of the media and argued that support for him and his party in the region is high. He discussed his achievements when he served as Minister of Agriculture, highlighting his water management program and aid for semi-subsistence farms.<ref name="2008_senat"/> For Lepper, the by-election represented a chance to return to politics after the disastrous 2007 defeat; this made Lepper stand out by actively campaigning – he promised to bail out the indebted hospital in [[Przemyśl]], help the laid off employees of Krosno glassworks factory, and improve the living conditions of Subcarpathian farmers. However, Maria Zbyrowska, the former leader of Samoobrona in the region, also ran in the election and criticized Lepper for running in the Podkarpackie region despite being born in Pomerania.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rp.pl/polityka/art16221021-trzynastu-kandydatow-na-senatora-z-podkarpacia |title=Trzynastu kandydatów na senatora z Podkarpacia |date=15 May 2008 |website=[[Rzeczpospolita (newspaper)|Rzeczpospolita]] |language=pl |first=Józef |last=Matusz}}</ref> Ultimately, Lepper won 3435 votes, which amounted to 4,1% of the popular vote; this gave him the 4th place.<ref name="wizerunek"/>

Commenting on Lepper's political career, Polish historians Jerzy Łukowski and Hubert Zawadzki note that Lepper won the support of those who had lost out from the post-communist changes since 1989 and became known as the protector of the poor against the "thieving elites" of Poland. On the other hand, Lepper alienated many by his blatant disregard for parliamentary procedures, its abusive behaviour in the Sejm, and its aggressive demonstrations and blockades across the country.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Concise History of Poland |pages=410–449 |doi=10.1017/9781108333993.012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2019 |first1=Jerzy |last1=Lukowski |first2=Hubert |last2=Zawadzki |isbn=9781108333993}}</ref>

==Political style and views==
Samoobrona (SRP) and Lepper successfully tapped into the disillusion felt by millions of poor citizens who had not benefited from Poland's transition to capitalism and entry into the [[European Union]]. Lepper presented himself and his party as "the only one in Poland, which speaks in the name of all people", and made it his goal to "defend poor and unemployed people, honest and enterprising, but disadvantaged by the economic system".<ref name="mesez">{{cite journal |url=https://www.isp.org.pl/uploads/drive/oldfiles/7832124490738466001218629576.pdf |title=Populist Politics and Liberal Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe |first1=Grigorij |last1=Mesežnikov |first2=Oľga |last2=Gyárfášová |first3=Daniel |last3=Smilov |location=Bratislava |year=2008 |publisher=Institute for Public Affairs |journal=Working Papers |volume=8 |pages=77–98}}</ref> Lepper embodied the public discontent and social costs of the Balcerowicz Plan, an economic plan drafted by [[Jeffrey Sachs]] that dissolved the socialist planned economy in Poland in favor of a neoliberal market economy. This was achieved at the price of massive unemployment, layoffs and a 40% decline in real wages, as well as a large expansion of income inequality and slashed welfare. Polish political scientist [[:pl:Jarosław Tomasiewicz|Jarosław Tomasiewicz]] notes that Lepper showed that while internationally the Polish capitalist transformation was celebrated as successful, in reality it "took place against a backdrop of repression of the workers, kidnappings and arrests of trade unionists, violent clashes with protesters or a mass exodus of desperate workers".<ref name="kryzys">{{cite journal |title=Andrzej Lepper: kryzys transformacji i polityka populizmu |language=pl |pages=9–30 |doi=10.19195/prt.2023.2.1 |date=28 November 2023 |journal=Praktyka Teoretyczna |volume=48 |issue=2 |author1=Piotr Kuligowski |author2=Łukasz Moll |author3=Jarosław Tomasiewicz |author4=Jarosław Urbański |author5=Aleksandra Bilewicz |author6=Andrzej Leder |author7=Remigiusz Okraska |author8=Rafał Woś |author9=Krzysztof Król |author10=Stanisław Chankowski|doi-access=free }}</ref> Lepper's popularity only grew even as the plan brought economic growth by 2000, as this growth did not trickle down to the impoverished masses.<ref>{{cite book |title=Aftershock: A Journey into Eastern Europe's Broken Dreams |year=2017 |publisher=Zed Books Ltd. |isbn=978-1-78360-950-5 |first=John |last=Feffer |author-link=John Feffer |page=202}}</ref>

Lepper was classified as a far-left populist,<ref name="far1">{{cite web |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/polish-rightist-presidential-rivals-face-run-off.75735 |title=Polish rightist presidential rivals face run-off |date=10 October 2005 |website=[[Times of Malta]] |quote="Far-left populist Andrzej Lepper, feared by the financial markets, came third with around 13 per cent of the vote."}}</ref><ref name="far2">{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB107723359791734581 |date=20 February 2004 |title=Miller's Tale |website=[[Wall Street Journal]] |quote="In the meantime, Poles have grown fed up, turning to extremists. In the poll, 23% supported Self-Defense, a farmers group led by Andrzej Lepper, a far-left populist in the José Bové mold. Two far-right parties got just over 10%."}}</ref> and was dubbed "Polish Chávez" by the international media.<ref name="chavez">{{cite web |url=https://www.stern.de/politik/ausland/andrzej-lepper-der-polnische-chavez-3273282.html |title=Der polnische Chavez |date=20 July 2007 |website=stern.de |language=de |first=Rafal |last=Wos}}</ref> He has also been compared to figures such as José Bové,<ref name="far2"/> Evo Morales,<ref name="morales">{{cite journal |title=Andrzej Lepper: kryzys transformacji i polityka populizmu |language=pl |page=143 |doi=10.19195/prt.2023.2.1 |date=28 November 2023 |journal=Praktyka Teoretyczna |volume=48 |issue=2 |author1=Piotr Kuligowski |author2=Łukasz Moll |author3=Jarosław Tomasiewicz |author4=Jarosław Urbański |author5=Aleksandra Bilewicz |author6=Andrzej Leder |author7=Remigiusz Okraska |author8=Rafał Woś |author9=Krzysztof Król |author10=Stanisław Chankowski |quote="Andrzej Lepper jest jedną z pięciu najważniejszych postaci politycznych III RP. To przykład polityka, który jako jeden z pierwszych sięgał po narzędzia populizmu. A ten populizm z natury jest lewicowy. Jego krytyka socjalna była pierwszą po ofercie antyokrągłostołowej (Kaczyński, Olszewski) krytyką III RP. Był pionierem nie tylko w skali Polski. To postać z tej samej półki, co wtedy Hugo Chávez i Evo Morales." |trans-quote="Andrzej Lepper is one of the five most important political figures of the Third Republic of Poland. He is an example of a politician who was one of the first to reach for the tools of populism. And this populism is inherently left-wing. His social criticism was the first criticism of the Third Republic after the anti-circle offer (Kaczyński, Olszewski). He was a pioneer not only in Poland. He is a figure on the same shelf as Hugo Chávez and Evo Morales at the time."|doi-access=free }}</ref> and Juan Perón in that regard.<ref name="peron">{{cite book |title=Populizm w polskiej polityce: Analiza dyskursu polityki |last1=Przyłęcki |first1=Paweł |publisher=[[:pl:Kancelaria Sejmu|Wydawnictwo Sejmowe]] |year=2012 |location=Warsaw |isbn=9788376661858 |language=pl |page=149}}</ref> He was known for his anti-capitalist rhetoric, and the pamphlets distributed by this party included declarations such as: "Capitalism is by no means an immutable constant. It must eventually make way for new forms of human relations and a new environmental morality. The new post-capitalist era is already emerging."<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.pismowidok.org/en/archive/2021/31-visuality-of-social-classes/populus-means-the-people |title="Populus Means the People, Ladies and Gentlemen." A Visual Archive of Peasant Protests during the Post-Socialist Transition |first=Magda |last=Szcześniak |translator=Jan Szelągiewicz |volume=31 |journal=View. Theories and Practices of Visual Culture |year=2021 |issue=31 |doi=10.36854/widok/2021.31.2471|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Lepper described himself as a "social leftist and proud national Pole",<ref name="chambers">{{cite journal |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/1382 |journal=Marmara Journal of European Studies |volume=14 |issue=2 |year=2006 |first=Gary |last=Chambers |title=The Dual Challenge of Democratisation and European Integration in Post-Communist Poland |publisher=Atatiirk Education Faculty |pages=214–238}}</ref> and called for the return of socialism in Poland, arguing that it had "not yet reached full maturity".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://taz.de/Polens-radikaler-Bauernfuehrer/!1303814/ |title=Polens radikaler Bauernführer |author=Gabriele Lesser |newspaper=Die Tageszeitung: Taz |language=de |date=3 February 1999|page=13 }}</ref> Lepper promoted socialism on the basis of [[Catholic social teaching]] and the tradition of the Polish [[peasant movement]], and his views were described as a mix of "folkish Catholicism and Polish socialism" by the media.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jungle.world/artikel/1999/34/lepper-der-bauernfaenger |title=Lepper, der Bauernfänger |date=25 August 1999 |website=jungle.world |language=de |author=Amelie Kutter}}</ref>

The political rhetoric of Lepper was also full of nostalgic references to the communist [[Polish People's Republic]], especially in regard to the rule of reformist [[Edward Gierek]]. Lepper's main electorate became former communists as well as former employees of socialist rural cooperatives known as [[State Agricultural Farm]]s. He divided the Polish society into the 'children of Balcerowicz' which he described as businessmen who built 'capital empires' on privatization, as well as the 'victims of Balcerowicz' who "were robbed by Balcerowicz's financial politics" and were plunged into poverty by the neoliberal shock therapy reforms.<ref name="zarycki">{{cite book |title=Regional Issues in Polish Politics |first1=Tomasz |last1=Zarycki |first2=George |last2=Kolankiewicz |publisher=School of Slavonic and East European Studies |location=London |year=2003 |series=SSEES Occasional Papers |issue=60 |isbn=0903425718 |url=https://archive.org/details/SSEES0028 |page=247}}</ref>

Lepper's communist background was also visible in his stances regarding foreign policy - he was critical of the European Union and favoured a pro-Eastern alignment of Poland. He accused pro-European parties of trying "to transform Poland into an outlet for the West's surplus production." He was a staunch opponent of the sentiment that Polish issues could be solved by integration with the West and the European Union, which he dubbed "a fashion for foreignness". Lepper argued that any arrangements with the West would be unequal for Poland and make Poland exploited as an economically inferior country; he warned that Poland would be "economically erased from the map of the world."<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25779367 |title=Poland's Accession into the European Union: Parties, Policies and Paradoxes |journal=The Polish Review |author=Ray Taras |date=2003 |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=3–19 |jstor=25779367 |access-date=13 November 2023}}</ref> In reference to neoliberal policies such as privatization and austerity, Lepper considered them "economic genocide".<ref name="beichelt">{{cite web |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/5080257.pdf |title=Nationalism and anti-EU mobilization in postsocialist Europe |first=Timm |last=Beichelt |publisher=European University Viadrina Frankfurt Oder |location=Frankfurt an der Oder |date=27 March 2003 |page=5}}</ref>

Referring to his membership in the PZPR (Polish communist party), Lepper said: "I have no regrets and absolutely no reason to be ashamed of being in the party". He defended Communist Poland as overall positive, noting that despite problems such as the overgrowth of the bureaucracy and anti-Catholic policies, it was a "semi-sovereign state" that had more achievements than faults, such as the post-war reconstruction, development of industry, infrastructure and housing, the development of education and health care, social security, as well as "the social advancement of millions of formerly disinherited citizens". Lepper praised socialism as a "a system which put man first" and which was "in line with the commandments of the Church". He also believed that the downfall of Communist Poland was caused by the anti-worker elites of the PZPR, while praising the rank-and-file members who stayed true to "genuinely socialist ideals and values".<ref name="tomas">{{cite journal |title=Populiści w poszukiwaniu tożsamości – ideologiczne inspiracje Samoobrony (1991–2007) |first=Jarosław |last=Tomasiewicz |author-link=:pl:Jarosław Tomasiewicz |volume=48 |issue=2 |journal=Praktyka Teoretyczna |year=2023 |doi=10.19195/prt.2023.2.2 |pages=54–55 |language=pl|doi-access=free }}</ref> Lepper and his party were considered Catholic socialist,<ref>{{cite book |title=Pension Reforms in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. From Post-Socialist Transition to the Global Financial Crisis |author=Igor Guardiancich |date=October 2009 |location=Florence |isbn=978-0415688987 |publisher=Taylor & Francis Ltd. |url=https://www.mwpweb.eu/1/144/resources/publication_1429_1.pdf |doi=10.2870/1700 |page=133}}</ref> as well as agrarian socialist.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Gerrit Voerman |author2=Dirk Strijker |author3=Ida Terluin|author-link=:nl:Gerrit Voerman |editor=Sarah de Lange |editor-link=:nl:Sarah de Lange |date=2015 |isbn=9789086862597 |doi=10.3920/978-90-8686-807-0 |title=Rural Protest Groups and Populist Political Parties |chapter=Contemporary Populism, the Agrarian and the Rural in Central Eastern and Western Europe |page=172 |publisher=Wageningen Academic Publishers}}</ref>

According to Polish political scientist [[:pl:Andrzej Piasecki (politolog)|Andrzej Piasecki]], Lepper's anti-EU stance was not based on nationalist, anti-Western or religious beliefs, but rather on Lepper's analysis of social class - he argued that the neoliberal and [[laissez-faire]] policies of the EU exploit the poor, and sought to defend disadvantaged social classes such as "farmers, the unemployed, pensioners and all those dissatisfied with the changes in Poland after 1989 from the [European] Union". Lepper was unsatisfied with the settlement Poland reached with the EU, stating in his address to the Sejm: "You have negotiated conditions that have led to the fact that today 5 million people in Poland are out of work, that 90 per cent of them are not entitled to benefits, that agricultural production has fallen by 40 per cent, and that pensioners have no money for medicine."<ref name="piasecki">{{cite journal |title=Referendum akcesyjne z 2003 r. Próba bilansu |publisher=Annales Academiae Paedagogicae Cracoviensis |volume=22 |issue=2 |journal=Studia Politologica |year=2004 |first=Andrzej |last=Piasecki |author-link=:pl:Andrzej Piasecki (politolog) |language=pl}}</ref> Samoobrona also argued that the terms negotiated with the EU resulted in Poland being dominated by larger and richer countries, particularly Germany and France.

A few weeks before the referendum, Lepper declared it necessary "to renegotiate the arrangements concluded in Copenhagen." Lepper and his party insisted they are not anti-European, but rather argued that the negotiated terms were unfavourable for the state and that Poland should enter the EU together with Ukraine, which for Lepper would have improved the negotiating position with Poland, and ensured that Poland would be "a partner rather than a supplicant" to the EU. Lepper argued that within the EU, Poland fulfills 'the role of a third category country in the European Union. A country that is, in a semi-colonial way, a provider of young workforce and a market".<ref>{{cite book |pages=108–110 |language=pl |title=Więcej czy mniej Europy? UE i integracja europejska w dyskursie polskich partii politycznych |edition=1st |location=Kraków |year=2018 |isbn=978-83-233-9778-6 |publisher=Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego |first=Natasza |last=Styczyńska |url=https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/server/api/core/bitstreams/d922f6a5-4c61-4445-ad23-79ff6d3ae96b/content}}</ref>

However, Lepper and his party took a neutral stance towards the [[2003 Polish European Union membership referendum]], adopting a slogan: "European Union? The choice is yours!" Samoobrona stressed that joining the EU also entails dangers and drawbacks which are either downplayed or ignored. Lepper stressed that he personally "is in favour of the EU, but not under these conditions".<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Roczniki Nauk Społecznych |volume=6 |issue=42 |year=2014 |first=Maria |last=Marczewska-Rytko |title=Kampania przed referendum akcesyjnym Polski do UE w kontekście doradztwa politycznego |language=pl |publisher=Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej |location=Lublin}}</ref> The party treated the results of the referendum with skepticism - Lepper argued that with a much higher turnout, the No vote would have won. According to Piasecki, Lepper's analysis was likely correct, as the domination of pro-EU views in the media and endorsement of the EU by [[Pope John Paul II]] resulted in most EU opponents not voting in the referendum.<ref name="piasecki"/>

Lepper remained a [[Eurosceptic]], but later toned down his position. During his tenure as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Lepper worked to support Polish agriculture within European structures and on his departure was described by EU officials as pragmatic and professional.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite web |title=Andrzej Lepper obituary |work=Former Polish deputy premier tainted by sleaze and graft claims |publisher=The Guardian |author=Jaroslaw Adamowski |date=25 August 2011 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/aug/25/andrzej-lepper-obituary |quote=Self-Defense was ousted from the cabinet, over allegations that Lepper had accepted bribes for altering the legal status of farm land to residential land. However, an investigation by the anti-corruption bureau failed to produce any evidence for these claims.}}</ref> [[Janusz Wojciechowski]], a long-standing Polish [[Member of the European Parliament]], argued that contrary to his reputation as a vulgar populist, Lepper "was a really good minister of agriculture" whose conduct was professional yet tough. Wojciechowski credits Lepper with negotiating numerous concessions for Polish farmers and fruit producers from the European Union and sees this as proof that Lepper's "concern for the poor and excluded was not for show, but genuine".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.salon24.pl/u/januszwojciechowski/330882,trzy-zaslugi-leppera-dla-polski |title=Trzy zasługi Leppera dla Polski |date=6 August 2011 |language=pl |first=Janusz |last=Wojciechowski |author-link=Janusz Wojciechowski}}</ref>

Lepper was one of the few high-profile politicians who consistently opposed Poland's involvement in [[United States|American]] global military operations. He was involved in promoting close relations with the country's eastern neighbours: [[Ukraine]], [[Russia]] and [[Belarus]].

The core of Lepper's views was opposition to globalization, capitalism and neoliberalism, which Lepper considered epitomised by [[Leszek Balcerowicz]]. Lepper's party stressed the primacy of man before capital, and used slogans such as "Man, Family, Work - a life of dignity". It called for a kind of socialism characterized by "respect for life in all its forms, recognition of the role of family, nation, moral tradition, social benevolence and solidarity". The party explicitly tied itself to the Catholic social teaching, declaring: "The Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland is guided by the social teaching of the Church and fully shares the indications contained in the encyclicals of the greatest moral authority of our time, as we recognise Pope John Paul II." However, Lepper himself criticized the Catholic hierarchy for what he considered siding with the rich and passively approving of capitalism. At the same time, Lepper considered the Church a moral authority and adopted the Church's stance on social issues such as abortion, euthanasia or death penalty.<ref name="stanowiska">{{cite journal |title=Stanowiska polskich partii politycznych wobec religii i Kościoła. Propozycja typologii |issn=2353-9747 |last=Kowalczyk |first=Krzysztof |url=https://www.journals.us.edu.pl/index.php/SPUS/article/view/5445 |journal=Studia Politicae Universitatis Silesiensis |volume=15 |issue=1 |year=2015 |page=185}}</ref>

Some of his many infamous quotes include "There's too much talk about democracy - people can see it's only for elites. Only 5% of the population have made any money out of it at the expense of all the others.",<ref name="chambers"/> "Capitalism is shaped to serve a small group of states",<ref>{{cite journal |title=Andrzej Lepper: kryzys transformacji i polityka populizmu |language=pl |page=49 |doi=10.19195/prt.2023.2.1 |date=28 November 2023 |journal=Praktyka Teoretyczna |volume=48 |issue=2 |author1=Piotr Kuligowski |author2=Łukasz Moll |author3=Jarosław Tomasiewicz |author4=Jarosław Urbański |author5=Aleksandra Bilewicz |author6=Andrzej Leder |author7=Remigiusz Okraska |author8=Rafał Woś |author9=Krzysztof Król |author10=Stanisław Chankowski |doi-access=free }}</ref> "We are a radical party, open to all disadvantaged people who are starving at home",<ref name="beata_159">{{cite book |title=Magia politycznych wizerunków w mediach: Aleksander Kwaśniewski i Andrzej Lepper: studium przypadków. |first=Beata |last=Czechowska-Derkacz |year=2012 |location=Gdańsk |publisher=Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego |isbn=978-83-7326-881-4 |page=159 |language=pl}}</ref> and "If the law works against people and generally accepted notions of legality then it isn't law. The only thing to do is to break it for the sake of the majority".<ref>{{cite book |title=Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe |author=Cas Mudde |date=22 September 2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511492037.002 |isbn=9780511339738 |page=154}}</ref> Lepper himself appeared to be a restless man, not easily placated and not inclined to settle down as an officeholder, as his participation in Kaczyński's government showed. With the votes of the left-wing majority in the Sejm, in 2001 he was elected as Vice-Speaker of the Sejm (''[[Marszałek Sejmu|Wicemarszałek Sejmu]]''), but after violating time constraints in debates he was dismissed. Among Lepper and SO's undertakings in parliament were such incidents as the use of their own loudspeakers in the Sejm and claims that [[Robert Smoktunowicz]] of the liberal [[Civic Platform|Civic Platform (''Platforma Obywatelska'')]] engaged in the gemstone trade with the [[Taliban]].

The [[Interregional Academy of Personnel Management]] in [[Kyiv]], a private institution that actively promotes [[antisemitism]]<ref>[http://en.naukawpolsce.pl/naukaen/index.jsp?place=Lead03&news_cat_id=118&news_id=4973&layout=2&forum_id=1147&page=text Professorship for Lepper] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317085500/http://en.naukawpolsce.pl/naukaen/index.jsp?place=Lead03&news_cat_id=118&news_id=4973&layout=2&forum_id=1147&page=text |date=March 17, 2007 }} Science and Scholarship in Poland Information Service; retrieved 23 February 2007.</ref> awarded Lepper with two [[honorary doctorate]]s<ref>{{cite news|title=Lepper odebrał w Moskwie doktorat honoris causa|newspaper=[[Gazeta Wyborcza]]|date=12 February 2007|url=http://serwisy.gazeta.pl/swiat/1,34180,3913159.html|access-date=23 February 2007|language=pl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221203207/http://serwisy.gazeta.pl/swiat/1,34180,3913159.html|archive-date=21 February 2007}}</ref> and an honorary professorship. The [[Anti-Defamation League]] strongly condemned Lepper for accepting these titles.<ref>[http://www.adl.org/PresRele/ASInt_13/4971_13.htm ADL Condemns Polish Deputy PM for Accepting Honor from Anti-Semitic University]. [[Anti-Defamation League]]; retrieved 23 February 2007.</ref>

==Criminal charges==
[[File:AndrzejLepper Kielce.jpg|thumb|Andrzej Lepper in 2007]]

Lepper was charged with criminal offenses, including assault, blocking roads and dumping grain on railroad tracks in the course of anti-government demonstrations (''[[The New York Times]]'', 2006).<ref>Gelb, Leslie H. (30 August 2013) [http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/28/news/poland.php The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia], International Herald Tribune; retrieved 7 September 2013.</ref>

In May 2001 Lepper was sentenced to sixteen months in prison.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} In May 2006 Polish students protested against the coalition government and also mocked Lepper's recent criminal conviction for slander, chanting "Lepper to prison".<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=aRdTpskAS9L4&refer=europe Polish Students March in Warsaw, Protest Coalition Government] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626141607/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=aRdTpskAS9L4&refer=europe |date=2009-06-26 }}, bloomberg.com; accessed 13 June 2016.</ref>

As of 2007 Lepper faced criminal charges for slander and levelling corruption accusations against ministers and members of parliament (Financial Times, 2002).<ref>[http://www.fordham.edu/economics/vinod/cie/%5Cpoland.htm The Institute for Ethics and Economic Policy (IEEP) at Fordham University], Fordham.edu; retrieved 7 September 2013.</ref>

In December 2006, a female party member claimed that Lepper and party deputy [[Stanisław Łyżwiński]] had demanded sexual favours in exchange for a job in a regional Samoobrona party office. After the publication of these claims in the ''[[Gazeta Wyborcza]]'',<ref>{{cite news|last=Kącki |first=Marcin |title=Praca za seks w Samoobronie |newspaper=[[Gazeta Wyborcza]] |date=4 December 2006 |url=http://www.gazetawyborcza.pl/1,75248,3770674.html |access-date=23 February 2007 |language=pl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223081625/http://www.gazetawyborcza.pl/1%2C75248%2C3770674.html |archive-date=23 February 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> several other women came forward with similar accusations. Poland's chief prosecutor [[Janusz Kaczmarek]] later launched an investigation into the abuse allegations against both men. In February 2010 Andrzej Lepper was sentenced to two years and three months in jail after being found guilty of demanding and accepting sexual favours from female members of his Samoobrona party. The district court in central Poland also sentenced former Samoobrona party deputy [[Stanisław Łyżwiński]] to five years for rape and taking sexual advantage of female members of his party. Lepper said that the entire case against him was "imagined", and that he would appeal the decision.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308717,polands-former-deputy-prime-minister-jailed-for-sex-for-favours.html#ixzz0fF1vR3zF |title=Earth Times: Show/308717,polands-former-deputy-prime-minister-jailed-for-sex-for-favours.HTML |access-date=2010-02-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913010536/http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308717,polands-former-deputy-prime-minister-jailed-for-sex-for-favours.html#ixzz0fF1vR3zF |archive-date=2012-09-13 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/latest-news/ex-deputy-pm-jailed-for-sex-crimes/news-story/427c5e2318dd76e193e883f6d429b925 Ex-deputy PM jailed for sex crimes], AFP (The Australian reprint), 12 Feb 2010</ref> In 2011, the court overturned the verdict against Lepper, citing procedural errors such as failure to take into account Lepper's alibi. At the same time, Stanisław Łyżwiński's sentence was reduced from five years to three years and six months.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gazetaprawna.pl/wiadomosci/artykuly/500760,seksafera-lepper-wygrywa-sad-uchyla-wyrok-szefowi-samoobrony-zmniejsza-lyzwinskiemu-zdjecia.html |title=Seksafera: Lepper wygrywa - sąd uchyla wyrok szefowi Samoobrony, zmniejsza Łyżwińskiemu (ZDJĘCIA) |date=30 March 2011 |language=pl |website=Gazeta Prawna}}</ref>

==Fall, death and controversy==
On 9 July 2007, Prime Minister Kaczyński dismissed Lepper from the government, which Kaczyński said was due to suspicions that Lepper was involved in corruption. On 10 July, Lepper said that Samoobrona would withdraw from the ruling coalition, but later on the same day said that the party would remain in the coalition conditionally.<ref>Judy Dempsey, [http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/10/news/poland.php "Polish leader considers early elections"], ''International Herald Tribune'', 10 July 2007.</ref> Lepper claimed to have been the victim of a politically motivated [[sting operation]], initiated by Kaczynski and PiS, and he demanded that a parliamentary inquiry be conducted to investigate the legality and motivation of the [[Central Anticorruption Bureau]] operation mounted against him. This was one of the conditions put to PiS in return for Samoobrona remaining within the coalition.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

On 16 July 2007, Lepper, together with [[Roman Giertych]], chairman of another junior coalition partner [[League of Polish Families]], announced a merger of their parties, to be called [[League and Self-Defense]] (LiS). On August 5, the party quit the ruling coalition, leaving it without a majority.<ref>Dorota Bartyzel and Marta Waldoch, [https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=azguQIfGkpj4&refer=europe "Polish Self Defense Party Quits Coalition; Early Elections Loom"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930083613/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=azguQIfGkpj4&refer=europe |date=2007-09-30 }}, Bloomberg.com, 5 August 2007.</ref>

[[2007 Polish parliamentary election|Early parliamentary elections]] for both houses of parliament (Sejm and [[Senate of Poland|Senat]]) were held on 21 October 2007, after the Sejm voted for its own dissolution on 7 September.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} The party suffered huge voter backlash, and failed to cross the 5% [[electoral threshold]] for Sejm representation. Consequently, it lost all its seats. Lepper was a candidate in the [[2010 Polish presidential election]], but received just 1.28% of the votes and so did not proceed to the second round.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}

Lepper was found dead in his [[Warsaw]] office on 5 August 2011. Police said that he likely committed suicide.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14424247 BBC News – Poland's Andrzej Lepper dead]</ref> The public prosecutor's office conducted a year-long investigation to determine possible motives for his suicide. Lepper was hanging from a ceiling hook for a [[punching bag]]. After his autopsy, foul play was ruled out, and the investigation ended in late 2012. It was determined that Lepper suffered from crushing depression due to his enormous debts on all fronts including at his farm, his political defeat and sex scandals.<ref name="Kącki">{{cite web|url=http://wyborcza.pl/1,75478,13074777,Prokuratura_ustalila__dlaczego_Andrzej_Lepper_popelnil.html|title=Prokuratura ustaliła, dlaczego Andrzej Lepper popełnił samobójstwo (The public prosecutor's office determined suicide motives)|publisher=[[Gazeta Wyborcza]]|work=Kraj|date=19 December 2012|access-date=22 June 2013|author=Marcin Kącki|language=pl}}</ref>

Immediately after Lepper's death, sceptics pointed to suspicious details at the crime scene such as a lack of fingerprints on the tools used in his death, and his acquaintances' denial that he had any motivation to commit suicide. A scaffolding had been placed directly outside of the window of his office which had been fully opened, and all CCTV cameras in the area had malfunctioned on the day of his death. The unexplained circumstances of Lepper's death fueled popular urban legends ranging from Belarusian [[State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus|KGB]] to an inside job by the Polish [[Law and Justice|PiS]] party and special services, apparently related to his words in the [[Sejm]] that he had evidence about serious corruption and criminal activities involving high ranking government officials. Lepper acted erratically prior to his death and claimed to fear for his life and to be targeted by surveillance drones and wiretaps capturing his private conversations. Reporters who dealt with the death of Lepper pointed out the deaths, including suicides, of three of his close co-workers and party members having preceded it: Róża Żarska, Ryszard Kuciński, and Wiesław Podgórski. Ultimately, an investigation found that the death was unmistakably a suicide by hanging, though popular opinion among many Poles and even some high-ranking officials such as former Prime Minister [[Leszek Miller]] support the theory claiming otherwise.<ref name="TVP Info">{{cite web|title = Reportaż Jedynki - Czy to było samobójstwo?|publisher=[[TVP Info]]|date=13 September 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECUB5IzyuPQ|access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="wp.pl">{{cite web |url = https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/nowe-fakty-nt-smierci-andrzeja-leppera-to-nie-bylo-samobojstwo-6173649791060097a |title = Nowe fakty nt. śmierci Andrzeja Leppera. "To nie było samobójstwo" |publisher = wp.pl |date = 5 October 2017 |access-date = 31 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="telewizjarepublika.pl">{{cite web |url = https://telewizjarepublika.pl/sumlinski-na-krzesle-i-na-petli-za-pomoca-ktorych-mial-powiesic-sie-lepper-nie-znaleziono-zadnego-odcisku-palca-nasz-wywiad,41571.html |title = Sumliński: Na krześle i na pętli, za pomocą których miał powiesić się Lepper, nie znaleziono żadnego odcisku palca |publisher = telewizjarepublika.pl |date = 6 December 2016 |access-date = 31 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="dziennik.pl">{{cite web |url = https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/polityka/artykuly/349512,doradca-leppera-wieslaw-podgorski-tez-popelnil-samobojstwo.html |title = To nie pierwsze samobójstwo w Samoobronie. Doradca Leppera też odebrał sobie życie |publisher = dziennik.pl |date = 5 August 2011 |access-date = 31 March 2025}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
===Sejm===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Election year
! Party
! # of<br />votes
! % of<br />vote
! District
! Elected?
|-
! [[1991 Polish parliamentary election|1991]]
| Provincial Farmers' Self-Defence Committee
| 1,617
| 0.67%
| [[Koszalin]]
| style="background:Pink;"|No
|-
! [[1993 Polish parliamentary election|1993]]
| Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland
| 24,480
| 13.21%
| [[Koszalin]]
| style="background:Pink;"|No
|-
! [[2001 Polish parliamentary election|2001]]
| Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland
| 44,814
| 21.78%
| [[Koszalin]]
| style="background:PaleGreen;"|Yes
|-
! [[2005 Polish parliamentary election|2005]]
| Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland
| 33,535
| 19.11%
| [[Koszalin]]
| style="background:PaleGreen;"|Yes
|-
! [[2007 Polish parliamentary election|2007]]
| Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland
| 8,459 
| 3.43%
| [[Koszalin]]
| style="background:Pink;"|No
|-
|}

===Senate===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Election year
! Party
! # of<br />votes
! % of<br />vote
! Voivodeship
! Elected?
|-
! [[1997 Polish parliamentary election|1997]]
| Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland
| 24,614
| 15.86%
| [[Koszalin Voivodeship (1975–1998)|Koszalin]]
| style="background:Pink;"|No
|-
! [[2008 Polish Senate by-election|2008]]{{efn|name="uzupelniajce"|On 22 June 2008, by-elections were held for the Senate seat no. 21 because of the death of the incumbent [[Andrzej Mazurkiewicz (politician)|Andrzej Mazurkiewicz]] of [[Law and Justice]] party. The seat was won by [[Stanisław Zając]].}}
| Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland
| 3,435
| 3.81%
| [[Subcarpathian Voivodeship|Subcarpathian]]
| style="background:Pink;"|No
|-
|}

===Regional assemblies===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! Election year
! Party
! # of<br />votes
! % of<br />vote
! Sejmik
! Elected?
|-
! [[1998 Polish local elections|1998]]
| [[Social Alliance (Poland)|Social Alliance]]
| 24,614
| 15.86%
| [[West Pomeranian Voivodeship Sejmik|West Pomerania]]
| style="background:PaleGreen;"|Yes
|-
|}

===Presidential===
{| class=wikitable
|-
! rowspan=2|Election year
! colspan=2|1st round
! rowspan=2|Elected?
! rowspan=2|2nd round endorsement
|-
! # of overall votes
! % of overall vote
|-
! [[1995 Polish presidential election|1995]]
| 235,797
| 1.3% (#9)
| style="background:Pink;"|No
| [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]]
|-
! [[2000 Polish presidential election|2000]]
| 537,570 (3,05%)
| 3.05% (#5)
| style="background:Pink;"|No
| style="background:lightgrey;"|No second round
|-
! [[2005 Polish presidential election|2005]]
| 2,259,094
| 15.11% (#3)
| style="background:Pink;"|No
| [[Lech Kaczyński]]
|-
! [[2010 Polish presidential election|2010]]
| 214,657
| 1.28% (#7)
| style="background:Pink;"|No
| Opposed [[Jarosław Kaczyński]]
|-
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{in lang|pl}} [https://archive.today/20051126140153/http://www.sejm.gov.pl/poslowie/posel5/189.htm Information about Andrzej Lepper on the Sejm website.] Archived from the [http://www.sejm.gov.pl/poslowie/posel5/189.htm original.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20191027125001/http://samoobrona.org.pl/ Official Samoobrona website]

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Zyta Gilowska]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland|Deputy Prime Minister of Poland]]|years=2006}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ludwik Dorn]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Krzysztof Jurgiel]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Poland)|Minister of Agriculture]]|years=2006–2007}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Wojciech Mojzesowicz]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ludwik Dorn]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland|Deputy Prime Minister of Poland]]|years=2006–2007}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Przemysław Gosiewski]]}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=None}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland|Leader of Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland]]|years=1992–2011}}
{{s-aft|after=Jerzy Piasecki}}
{{s-end}}

{{Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz Cabinet}}
{{KaczynskiCabinet}}
{{PolishAgMins1989}}
{{ViceMarshalsSejm}}
{{Candidates in the Polish presidential election, 1995}}
{{Candidates in the Polish presidential election, 2000}}
{{Candidates in the Polish presidential election, 2005}}
{{Candidates in the Polish presidential election, 2010}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lepper, Andrzej}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:Deputy prime ministers of Poland]]
[[Category:Agriculture ministers of Poland]]
[[Category:Members of the Polish Sejm 2001–2005]]
[[Category:Members of the Polish Sejm 2005–2007]]
[[Category:Deputy Marshals of the Sejm of the Third Polish Republic]]
[[Category:MEPs for Poland 2004]]
[[Category:People from Słupsk County]]
[[Category:Left-wing populism]]
[[Category:Far-left politics]]
[[Category:Catholic socialists]]
[[Category:20th-century Polish farmers]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1995 Polish presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2000 Polish presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2005 Polish presidential election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2010 Polish presidential election]]
[[Category:Polish Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Polish United Workers' Party members]]
[[Category:Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland MEPs]]
[[Category:Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland politicians]]
[[Category:Polish politicians who died by suicide]]
[[Category:Suicides by hanging in Poland]]
[[Category:Polish politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:21st-century farmers]]