Krzysztof Kononowicz

Krzysztof Kononowicz (born January 21, 1963 in Kętrzyn) was a 2006 candidate for the office of mayor of Białystok during the local elections in Poland. He attracted some notoriety for his purposely unsophisticated political advertisement, first aired on local TV and featured heavily on YouTube.[1]

In 2006, Krzysztof Kononowicz, a 43-year-old driver-mechanic and pig farmer living with his widowed mother Leonarda, became a candidate of the electoral committee Podlaskie of the 21st Century (Podlasie XXI Wieku). Several weeks before the elections, Adam Czeczetkowicz, activist of the fringe far-right Polish National Party (supported by the party leader Leszek Bubel),[2] convinced him to run for mayor and make the advertisement. Within several days, over 3 million Internet users had seen the commercial on YouTube, posted by Kononowicz's electoral committee. The video also made it to Polish national TV. Soon merchandise (including the characteristic sweater supposedly belonging to Kononowicz) were being sold on the Internet.[1]

Kononowicz won only 1,676 votes (1.9%), but became by far the most remembered person of the 2006 elections, featured as guest in several television shows. He became a popular Internet meme in Poland in the late 2006 and early 2007. He was also voted "personality of the year" in the poll by the Polish web portal Onet.pl. In several interviews, he stated that he wants to be a candidate for the President of Poland at the next election, while Czeczetkowicz's representatives said they wanted him to be a candidate for the post of mayor of Warsaw.[2]

It is unclear if Kononowicz himself was aware, in the beginning, that his newly established "popularity" was highly derogatory. The leading Polish politician Donald Tusk called him "an unfortunate man". Foreign commentators said he was "like Borat, except not acting but the real thing".[1][3]

In March 2007, Kononowicz was accused by his neighbours of abusing his elderly mother. Both mother and the son denied the accusations, but the police investigated.[2] The investigation ended two months later and Kononowicz was cleared of all charges.[4]

He had a small role as a prosecutor in the 2010 movie Ciacho directed by Patryk Vega

References

  1. 1 2 3 The sweater that has Poland in stitches, The Age, November 15, 2006
  2. 1 2 3 (Polish) Kononowicz wykorzystywał seksualnie matkę?, Dziennik Polska-Europa-Świat, 14 March 2007
  3. ↑ (German) Polen-Borat im Proll-Pulli, Der Spiegel, November 17, 2006
  4. ↑ (Polish) Ktoś wrabiał Kononowicza, Dziennik Polska-Europa-Świat, 22 May 2007

External links

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