Sandra Lewandowska
Encyclopedia
Sandra Lewandowska is a Polish
political figure who served in the national Parliament (Sejm
) from September 2005 to October 2007, and whose high public profile is owed to her activities outside of the legislative field, including a tabloid-publicized romance with a much-older, leading member of her party as well as participation as a contestant on Taniec z gwiazdami, the Polish version of Strictly Come Dancing
/Dancing with the Stars
.
, then the seat of Jelenia Góra Voivodeship
and, since 1999, part of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship
, Sandra Magdalena Lewandowska studied at the Regional
and Tourist Economy
Department of Wrocław University of Economics, graduating in 2002 with a major in business operations
.
, she was also a member, from 1999 to 2001, of Polish Socialist Youth Union
and, between October 2001 and October 2004, was a leader in the Alliance's Jelenia Góra youth chapter as well as deputy leader of the city's Stowarzyszenie Młodej Lewicy Demokratycznej [Young Democratic Left Association]. During 2002–04 she worked at the Ministry of Interior and Administration
and, concurrently, from March 2002 to December 2003, was an assistant at the political office of cabinet member Krzysztof Janik
, the Minister of Interior and Administration
. Also, from January to June 2004, she served as the chief advisor in the Ministry's Office of Social Communication.
In July 2005, at the age of 28, she joined the Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland
Party and, in the September 25 election
, having received 5215 votes, became one of the Party's 56 representatives in the 460-member Sejm during the legislative body's 5th term. Placed by the Party in the constituency covering Opole Voivodeship
, she was assigned to the Committee for Defense of the Environment, Natural Resources and Forestry as well as to the Committee for Entrepreneurial Growth.
with one of the Self-Defense Party leaders, 30-years-older Sejm member Janusz Maksymiuk
, were splashed, along with photographs, across the pages of publications Super Express
and Fakt [Fact]. The public's perception of her political persona was further diminished by a story in the 2 July issue of Poland's largest-circulation newsweekly, Polityka
[Politics], ranking the country's best and worst legislators, which placed her among the bottom five, along with four male legislators, and described her as well-tanned and well known for her affair with Maksymiuk, but completely unknown as a legislator.
Her newfound celebrity/notoriety resulted in an invitation to participate in the 6th season of Taniec z gwiazdami, partnered by professional dancer Michał Skawiński. The show's premiere broadcast was on 9 September, with her elimination, ranked in 13th place, coming in the second installment. Political reckoning came the following month with the October 21 election to the Sejm
, held only two years and one month after the previous one, in which the Self-Defense Party received less than 5% of the vote, thus losing all of its 56 seats in the Sejm. Nearly two years later, in the June 2009 elections to the European Parliament
, her effort at a political comeback proved unsuccessful.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
political figure who served in the national Parliament (Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
) from September 2005 to October 2007, and whose high public profile is owed to her activities outside of the legislative field, including a tabloid-publicized romance with a much-older, leading member of her party as well as participation as a contestant on Taniec z gwiazdami, the Polish version of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
/Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
.
Educational background
A native of the city of Jelenia GóraJelenia Góra
----Jelenia Góra is a city in Lower Silesia, south-western Poland. The name of the city means "deer mountain" in Polish, Czech and German. It is close to the Krkonoše mountain range running along the Polish-Czech border – ski resorts such as Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba can be found...
, then the seat of Jelenia Góra Voivodeship
Jelenia Góra Voivodeship
Jelenia Gora Voivodeship was a unit of administrative division and local government in Poland in the years 1975–1998, superseded by the Lower Silesian Voivodeship...
and, since 1999, part of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province , is one of the 16 voivodeships into which Poland is currently divided. It lies in southwestern Poland...
, Sandra Magdalena Lewandowska studied at the Regional
Regional science
Regional science is a field of the social sciences concerned with analytical approaches to problems that are specifically urban, rural, or regional...
and Tourist Economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
Department of Wrocław University of Economics, graduating in 2002 with a major in business operations
Business operations
Business operations are those ongoing recurring activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders...
.
Political career
Although initially associated with the Democratic Left AllianceDemocratic Left Alliance
Democratic Left Alliance is a social-democratic political party in Poland. Formed in 1991 as a coalition of centre-left parties, it was formally established as a single party on 15 April 1999. It is currently the third largest opposition party in Poland....
, she was also a member, from 1999 to 2001, of Polish Socialist Youth Union
Polish Socialist Youth Union
The Polish Socialist Youth Union is a youth group located inside Poland, renamed in 1976. The ZSMP is a former member of the World Federation of Democratic Youth. Along with the Socialist Youth Union, they formed the youth faction of the Polish United Workers' Party.- External links :* * *...
and, between October 2001 and October 2004, was a leader in the Alliance's Jelenia Góra youth chapter as well as deputy leader of the city's Stowarzyszenie Młodej Lewicy Demokratycznej [Young Democratic Left Association]. During 2002–04 she worked at the Ministry of Interior and Administration
Ministry of Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland
Ministry of the Interior and Administration is an administration structure controlling main administration and security branches of the Polish government. Current Minister is Jerzy Miller.-History and function:...
and, concurrently, from March 2002 to December 2003, was an assistant at the political office of cabinet member Krzysztof Janik
Krzysztof Janik
Krzysztof Janik is a Polish left-wing politician. He is a member of the Democratic Left Alliance and from March 6, 2004 to December 18, 2004 was the leader of this party....
, the Minister of Interior and Administration
Ministry of Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland
Ministry of the Interior and Administration is an administration structure controlling main administration and security branches of the Polish government. Current Minister is Jerzy Miller.-History and function:...
. Also, from January to June 2004, she served as the chief advisor in the Ministry's Office of Social Communication.
In July 2005, at the age of 28, she joined the Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland
Self-Defense of the Republic of Poland
Self-Defence of the Republic of Poland , abbreviated to SRP, is an agrarian political party and trade union in Poland led by Andrzej Lepper. Its platform combines left-wing populist economic policies with religious conservative social policies....
Party and, in the September 25 election
Polish parliamentary election, 2005
Parliamentary elections for both houses of the Parliament of Poland were held on September 25, 2005. Thirty million voters were eligible to vote for all 460 members of the lower house, the Assembly of the Republic of Poland , and all 100 members of the upper house, the Senate of the Republic of...
, having received 5215 votes, became one of the Party's 56 representatives in the 460-member Sejm during the legislative body's 5th term. Placed by the Party in the constituency covering Opole Voivodeship
Opole Voivodeship
- Administrative division :Opole Voivodeship is divided into 12 counties : 1 city county and 11 land counties. These are further divided into 71 gminas.The counties are listed in the following table .- Economy :...
, she was assigned to the Committee for Defense of the Environment, Natural Resources and Forestry as well as to the Committee for Entrepreneurial Growth.
Negative celebrity
In 2007, after she served a year-and-a-half as a legislator, Sandra Lewandowska's private life became fodder for the tabloid press when stories about her purported romance during a trip to EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
with one of the Self-Defense Party leaders, 30-years-older Sejm member Janusz Maksymiuk
Janusz Maksymiuk
Janusz Maksymiuk is a Polish politician. He was elected to Sejm on September 25, 2005 getting 7384 votes in 22 Krosno district, candidating from Samoobrona Rzeczpospolitej Polskiej list....
, were splashed, along with photographs, across the pages of publications Super Express
Super Express
The Super Express is a Polish tabloid published in Warsaw since 1991, with daily circulation of about 370,000. The paper, owned by the MediaExpress, is best known for publications about political scandals. Before the 1993 and 1995 elections in Poland Super Express published pre-election polls,...
and Fakt [Fact]. The public's perception of her political persona was further diminished by a story in the 2 July issue of Poland's largest-circulation newsweekly, Polityka
Polityka
Polityka is a centre-left weekly newsmagazine in Poland. With a circulation of 170,000 it is the country's biggest selling weekly, ahead of Newsweek's Polish edition and Wprost. Today, the magazine has a slightly intellectual, social liberal profile, setting it apart from the more conservative...
[Politics], ranking the country's best and worst legislators, which placed her among the bottom five, along with four male legislators, and described her as well-tanned and well known for her affair with Maksymiuk, but completely unknown as a legislator.
Her newfound celebrity/notoriety resulted in an invitation to participate in the 6th season of Taniec z gwiazdami, partnered by professional dancer Michał Skawiński. The show's premiere broadcast was on 9 September, with her elimination, ranked in 13th place, coming in the second installment. Political reckoning came the following month with the October 21 election to the Sejm
Polish parliamentary election, 2007
Early parliamentary elections for both houses of parliament were held in Poland on 21 October 2007 after the Sejm voted for its own dissolution on 7 September 2007. The election took place two years before the maximum tenure of four years, with the previous elections having been in September 2005...
, held only two years and one month after the previous one, in which the Self-Defense Party received less than 5% of the vote, thus losing all of its 56 seats in the Sejm. Nearly two years later, in the June 2009 elections to the European Parliament
European Parliament election, 2009 (Poland)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Poland was the election of the delegation from Poland to the European Parliament in 2009 which took place on 7 June 2009. On 13 February the Sejm accepted a proposal for an amendment to the electoral court act to allow voting for the European Parliament...
, her effort at a political comeback proved unsuccessful.