ANN ARBOR—Former President of the Republic of Poland Aleksander Kwa?niewski will deliver the inaugural lecture of the Ronald and Eileen Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia and Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies at the University of Michigan.

Born in 1954, Aleksander Kwa?niewski first entered government in 1985 holding a number of posts before his election as Poland’s president in 1995. During his presidency through 2005, Kwa?niewski co-authored the constitution of the Third Republic of Poland, signing it into law in 1997.

He piloted his country to membership in NATO and has been an active supporter of further alliance enlargement. Kwa?niewski campaigned for approval of the European Union accession treaty in 2003 and saw Poland become a member on May 1, 2004. He is currently Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership at Georgetown University, a member of the Atlantic Council of the United States, and a member of the Advisory Council of the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies.

The lecture entitled “Promoting Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe,” will be held at 4 pm on Friday, Sept.19 in 1324 East Hall Auditorium, 530 Church St., Ann Arbor. It is free and open to the public.

Weiser gift of $10 million to establish U-M programs for emerging democracies