Gerard Wojdyla

His Excellency Gerard Wojdyla
Gerard Wojdyla at a campaign event, 2016
Acting President of West Miersa
In office 23 June, 2013 – 3 October, 2016
Premier	Aleksandra Wojdyla
Preceded by	Tomisław Sobolewski
Succeeded by	Sylwester Wrzesiński
21st Minister-President of West Miersa
In office 3 October, 2011 – 3 October, 2016
Preceded by	Oskar Palubicki
Succeeded by	Aleksandra Wojdyla
Member for Centralny Żobrodź
In office 4 September, 1993 – 23 June, 2013
Preceded by	Lubomił Iwanski
Succeeded by	Marcin Niedbalski
Personal details
Born	Gerard Symplicjan Wojdyla (1959-08-16) 16 August 1959 West Żobrodź, Żobrodź, West Miersa
Nationality	West Miersan
Political party	Miersan National Party
Spouse	Lucyna Wojdyla
Children	2
Relatives	See Wojdyla family
Alma mater	University of Krada
Profession	Lawyer, politician
Military service
Allegiance	Miersan National Armed Forces
Years of service	1980-1982

Gerard Wojdyla is a former West Miersan politician, serving as the twenty-first Minister-President of West Miersa between 2011 and 2013, and as acting President of West Miersa from 2013 until 2016, when he was defeated by Sylwester Wrzesiński. He was the first Minister-President and President to have come from the Miersan National Party since the 1986 general elections, and by extension, the first from the Wojdyla family since 1986.

Born in 1959 in West Żobrodź to Inocenty Wojdyla and Zuzanna Wojdyla, he served as a conscript during the Miersan War. After finishing his studies at the University of Krada in 1985, he became involved in politics, assisting his third cousin once removed, Zdzisław Wojdyla, in obtaining a seat in the National Assembly. Despite Zdzisław's loss to his Naprzód challenger, Lubomił Iwanski, his experience helped Gerard Wojdyla rise through the ranks of the Miersan National Party. After Zdzisław's loss in 1991, Gerard Wojyla became the presumptive nominee, and in 1993, Wojdyla won in a by-election against Ryszard Bartkowicz, following the death of Iwanski. This victory allowed Wojdyla to enter the National Assembly, where he would remain until 2013.

In 2011, Gerard Wojdyla unexpectedly led the Miersan National Party to take control of the National Assembly for the first time since 1986, leading to cohabitation, as he became Minister-President. However, from the start, Naprzód refused to cooperate with the Miersan National Party, with the then-President Tomisław Sobolewski taking back the powers that were legally supposed to be under the Minister-President's jurisdiction, per the West Miersan constitution. This eventually culminated in a constitutional crisis in 2013 which saw Soravia back Gerard Wojdyla, and thus led to Sobolewski's ouster, and to Wojdyla becoming acting president.

As acting president, Gerard Wojdyla appointed the first woman to be Minister-President, Aleksandra Wojdyla, halted the policy of privatisations, and eroded detente with East Miersa. However, given the circumstances that he came into power, it led to significant opposition that culminated in him being defeated by Sylwester Wrzesiński in 2016.

Early life

Gerard Wojdyla was born on 16 August, 1959 in West Żobrodź, to future Minister-President Inocenty Wojdyla, and his wife, Zuzanna Wojdyla, as the younger brother to Andrzej Wojdyla. As a child, Gerard Wojdyla was expected to become involved in West Miersan politics, due to his father's and late grandfather's involvement in West Miersan politics.

In 1965, he began attending a prestigious school in West Żobrodź, where he was described as being a mediocre student, albeit one interested in politics. Thus, by 1969, he achieved high enough marks to go to a prestigious high school, continuing his studies until 1975. Although he was a mediocre student, he did excel in history classes, which allowed Wojdyla to attend college in 1975. In 1977, he graduated, and began his studies at the University of Krada.

However, with the outbreak of the Miersan War in 1979, as soon as Gerard Wojdyla turned 21, he was conscripted to the Miersan National Armed Forces, participating at the Battle of Krada which ended in an unexpected West Miersan victory. After the war ended in 1982, he returned to the University of Krada, graduating in 1985 with a specialist degree in political science.

Political career

Entry into politics

Under pressure from his grandfather, Iwon Wojdyla, and his great-uncle, Romuald Wojdyla, Gerard Wojdyla joined the Miersan National Party in 1985. Although he was not nominated for a seat, due to his age and inexperience, Gerard Wojdyla was tasked with assisting Zdzisław Wojdyla secure the seat of Centralny Żobrodź in the middle of West Żobrodź, which since 1941, had always had a member of the Wojdyla family sitting there.

Although he was a low-ranking member of the local association, his connections (on account of Gerard being third cousins once removed with Zdzisław) helped allow Gerard to garner experience. During the 1986 general election, Gerard Wojdyla assisted Zdzisław's campaign in any way that he could, even though from the start, it was likely that Naprzód candidate Lubomił Iwanski would win the seat, due to the Miersan National Party's unpopularity.

When the results arrived, Zdzisław lost his seat to Iwanski with 42% to Iwanski's 55% of the vote, ending the MNP's hold on the seat since independence. Despite this loss, Gerard Wojdyla had garnered experience within the party, and was seen as being a future candidate for the party.

Thus, in the late 1980s, Gerard Wojdyla effectively led the party organization alongside Zdzisław Wojdyla. In the 1991 general elections, Zdzisław Wojdyla ran against Lubomił Iwanski, and while Zdzisław improved from 1986, garnering 46.8% to Iwanski's 51.9%, he was unable to unseat him. After this second loss, Zdzisław Wojdyla abandoned his efforts to run for a seat in the National Assembly, leading to Gerard Wojdyla becoming the presumptive nominee for the Miersan National Party.

An opportunity came earlier than expected, when in May 1993, Lubomił Iwanski died from a stroke. In the 1993 by-election, he ran against Naprzód candidate Ryszard Bartkowicz, winning with 52.4% of the vote to Bartkowicz's 45.8% of the vote, as he campaigned on name recognition and on vowing to "improve the city to be the new Krada" of West Miersa.

Member of the National Assembly

Official portrait of Gerard Wojdyla, 1996

Thus, on 4 September, 1993, Gerard Wojdyla entered the National Assembly, being the first newly-elected member from the Miersan National Party to gain a seat since the 1986 general elections.

From the start, Gerard Wojdyla was a marginal figure in the National Assembly, both because of his membership in the opposition Miersan National Party (as opposed to the governing Naprzód), but also due to the presence of more senior members of the Wojdyla family in the National Assembly. However, due to his experience campaigning under two-time nominee for the Minister-Presidency, Zdzisław Wojdyla, Gerard Wojdyla was seen as a potential future cabinet minister.

In the 1996 general elections, Wojdyla defended his seat from Naprzód challenger Czesław Wierzbicki. Despite Wierzbicki's popularity, Gerard Wojdyla was able to defend his seat, winning with 50.8% of the vote to Wierzbicki's 48.1% of the vote, allowing him to serve a full term.

During his first full term, Gerard Wojdyla became more assertive within the party, advocating for a "modernization" of the party. Thus, when Eugeniusz Kozlowski and Waldemar Bartoszek became the leaders of the party, Wojdyla hoped that it would increase support for the party, as "people are more willing to support a meritocratic party rather than a family party." This placed Wojdyla in the moderate wing of the party, and in the 2001 general elections, he was able to increase his share of the vote to 55.2% of the vote, against Wiktor Zelek's 41.1% of the vote, allowing him to maintain his seat, despite the redistribution as a result of the 1997 census.

In his second full term in the National Assembly, Gerard Wojdyla criticised detente with East Miersa, saying that "so long as they maintain their illegal occupation over Małomiersa, we should not have anything to do with them." As well, Gerard Wojdyla advocated for closer ties with Samorspi, proposing in 2002 "that West Miersa should participate in a future currency union [with other member states]."

Party leadership

In 2003, Gerard Wojdyla became the parliamentary leader of the Miersan National Party at the party convention, leading many political figures to assume that Wojdyla would, if the Miersan National Party got elected, become Minister-President. During this period, Wojdyla began crafting a platform that would "outflank Naprzód," by focusing on relatively more socially liberal policies while simultaneously vowing to create a "true democracy in the Miersan Federation."

Thus, when the 2006 general elections were called, Wojdyla ran against both Antonin Ringwelski in his constituency of Centralny Żobrodź, and Oskar Palubicki for the Minister-Presidency. During Wojdyla's campaign, he pledged to "end the privatisations, promote a just recovery, end detente, and develop a Miersan democracy." While at various points, Wojdyla was ahead of Palubicki, by the time the results were in, Naprzód maintained control of the National Assembly, albeit reduced by two seats, but he managed to get the Miersan National Party to increase its seat count by five. Wojdyla did hold on to his constituency, defeating Ringwelski with 57.2% of the vote to Ringwelski's 39.2% of the vote.

In the aftermath of the results, there was speculation over whether Wojdyla should continue as parliamentary leader of the Miersan National Party: at the 2007 convention, Waldemar Bartoszek was ousted from the leadership in favor of Gerard's third cousin, Więcesław Wojdyla, but Gerard Wojdyla was allowed to continue as parliamentary leader of the Miersan National Party.

With this vote of confidence from within the party, Gerard Wojdyla began to strengthen his party's position. Knowing full well that the liberal approach had not "fared as well," he decided to focus on a "back-to-basics" approach. To this end, he emphasised the party's social conservative roots, and its support of Miersan nationalism. As well, he encouraged "prominent locals" to join the party, hoping that their presence would increase support for the Miersan National Party.

By the time of the 2011 general election, Gerard Wojdyla ran against Palubicki once again for the Minister-Presidency, while also running against Benedykt Jedynak in his constituency. During his campaign, Wojdyla emphasised the party's platform, and vowed that a Miersan National government would "continue the reforms set out by Sobolewski."

When the results came in, although the Miersan National Party lost the popular vote, which allowed Sobolewski to remain President, it gained thirty-seven seats, allowing it to take control of the National Assembly, and thus making Gerard Wojdyla Minister-President, marking the first occasion in which the president and Minister-President came from opposing parties.

Minister-Presidency

On 3 October, 2011, Gerard Wojdyla was sworn in as the twenty-first Minister-President, succeeding Oskar Palubicki. That day, he unveiled his cabinet, comprising of Miersan National Party members.

From the start, his relationship with President Tomisław Sobolewski was strained, as although Sobolewski allowed Palubicki to exercise the powers assigned to the Minister-Presidency under the constitution, he refused to allow Wojdyla to exercise the powers, arguing that as Sobolewski had more support among voters, he should be allowed to "exercise the powers of the Miersan nation."

This led to controversy, with Gerard Wojdyla critcising the President in 2012, saying that "Sobolewski has revealed his true authoritarian nature," and that "we cannot nor should we cooperate with tyrants." This led to deadlock in the National Assembly, exacerbated by the Miersan National Party being at parity (as one of the Miersan National legislators became the speaker). As paralysis continued to damage the government, a "feud" developed between Wojdyla and Sobolewski, over powers and who should govern the country. As neither the Miersan National Party nor Naprzód were willing to concede, tensions continued to grow.

By May 2013, Gerard Wojdyla was ordered to resign his position in favour of a Naprzód politician. Wojdyla refused, and instead launched an impeachment of the President. As neither side were willing to yield to the other, a constitutional crisis developed, lasting until late June when Soravia officially backed Wojdyla. This forced Sobolewski to resign from the presidency on 23 June, and automatically led to Gerard Wojdyla becoming Acting President.

Acting President

Gerard Wojdyla and Sylwester Wrzesiński at the latter's inauguration, 2016

On 23 June, 2013, Gerard Wojdyla became the Acting President of the Miersan Federation. That day, he unveiled his cabinet, appointing his first cousin, Aleksandra Wojdyla, to serve as his successor as Minister-President.

While initially, his government proved popular, due to the circumstances upon which he became President, his appointment of his cousin as Minister-President, and the economic uncertainty caused by the constitutional crisis, Wojdyla's approval ratings quickly began to decline. Despite this situation, Gerard Wojdyla sought to continue Sobolewski's reforms, and was particularly interested in reducing the government's influence on the judiciary. As well, Wojdyla sought to ensure that "no privatisations shall be carried out" during his term.

In terms of foreign policy, Gerard Wojdyla continued his predecessor's close relations with Samorspi. However, Wojdyla signifcantly eroded detente with East Miersa, particularly by claiming that East Miersans "have no serious intention of establishing good relations with us so long as they hold Małomiersa hostage" in 2014, and tightened border controls with East Miersa.

By 2015, Wojdyla was confirmed by the Miersan National Party to run for the presidency. At this point in time, Wojdyla's position had improved, with many pro-Soravian politicians supporting Wojdyla's campaign. Thus, when the writ was dropped for the 2016 election campaign, he was expected to easily defeat Naprzód candidate Sylwester Wrzesiński.

However, as Wrzesiński built up momentum through his "nationalist" campaign, Wojdyla found it difficult to defend himself against Wrzesiński's accusations, further eroding Wojdyla's position. By the time the results arrived, the Miersan National Party lost 23 seats, including its governing majority, while Gerard Wojdyla himself only earned 42.5% of the vote to Wrzesiński's 57.2% of the vote.

Thus, after conceding to Sylwester Wrzesiński, he resigned from the party leadership "with immediate effect," and took full responsibility for the party's loss. On 3 October, 2016, Gerard Wojdyla officially handed over power to Wrzesiński.

Post-political career

After his defeat in the 2016 general elections, Gerard Wojdyla retired from politics, moving to a house in West Żobrodź with his wife. However, he continues to be a member of the Miersan National Party.

In 2018, he published his memoirs, Niespodzianka (A Surprise), detailing the events leading up to his 2011 victory for the Miersan National Party, his Minister-Presidency, and his acting presidency. His memoirs sold well, with many West Miersans interested in Gerard Wojdyla's own perspective about the events in the early 2010s, and how he saw his role during this period.

On 1 October, 2020, Gerard Wojdyla was hospitalized after a car accident when a car going the wrong way hit them "head on". His wife, Lucyna Wojdyla, died in the crash. Gerard Wojdyla was released from hospital on 5 November.

Personal life

Family

Gerard Wojdyla first met Lucyna Taran in 1983 following the end of the Miersan War at the University of Krada, and after "having clicked," they married in 1983, and remained married under Lucyna's death in 2020 from a car accident.

They have a son, Józef Wojdyla (born in 1986), and a daughter, Renata Kobylanska (born in 1988), as well as four grandchildren, of which three are from Józef, and one from Renata.

Language

Gerard Wojdyla speaks Miersan as a first language, but is also fluent in Soravian and Gaullican.

Religion

Gerard Wojdyla is a devout member Miersan Episemialist Church, having been given the baptismal name Symplicjan after Simplician, a bishop in TBD.

Wojdyla has said that "the church has been the glue that has held my family together through thick and thin," and has praised the church for "bringing a sense of unity" among the residents in the Miersan Federation.

Political views

Economically, Gerard Wojdyla supports increased economic regulation to "help ensure that the Miersans can live a better life, and a decent life." During his tenure, he sought to protect the nationalized companies, saying that "privatization will only harm the Miersan people."

In terms of domestic policy, Gerard Wojdyla supported the continued democratization of the Miersan Federation, with Wojdyla saying in 2014 that "we want to continue Sobolewski's efforts at democratisation." However, he opposes same-sex marriage and expanding the legality of abortion, saying that "we have the duty to protect the sanctity of the institution of marriage, and the sanctity of life" in 2011.

In terms of foreign policy, Wojdyla supports West Miersa's membership in Samorspi, saying that "the greatest thing to have happened in [West Miersa's] history is our membership in Samorspi." He opposes detente with East Miersa, saying in 2002 that "so long as they maintain their illegal occupation over Małomiersa, we should not have anything to do with them," and under his presidency eroded detente between east and west, and tightened border controls.

Honours

Domestic

• - Commander of the Order of the White Eagle, 2013