"Cześć!"

 

Out With the Old...

From Warsaw Voice

The months-long governmental crisis ended over the course of two days with decisions triggering a fundamental change in the political scene: the prime minister announced his resignation and the Sejm Speaker founded a new political party.

At a joint press conference held with President Aleksander Kwaœniewski March 26, Prime Minister Leszek Miller declared that May 2, a day after Poland's accession to the European Union, he would resign from his office. Justifying his decision, Miller said that after certain Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) Sejm and Senate deputies had left the party, no efficient policy could be implemented any longer.

The president intends to officially present the name of his candidate for prime minister after consulting the heads of the biggest caucuses, in order that the new head of government be appointed on the same day as Miller's resignation. According to Kwaœniewski, there is no time for a thorough reconstruction of the government and in some areas, such as foreign affairs and defense policy, it would be unjustified.

Two of the most commonly mentioned candidates for prime minister are members of the government-Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration Józef Oleksy and Minister of Foreign Affairs W³odzimierz Cimoszewicz. Possible candidates from outside the government include Sejm Speaker Marek Borowski, the founder of the new party, and Prof. Marek Belka, former minister of finance and now a member of the provisional authorities in Iraq. Belka said that the office of prime minister had already been discussed with him, but he did not reveal any details.

Kwaœniewski underlined that if the parliament did not approve the new government-according to the Constitution, it has two weeks to do so-early elections would have to be held.

Asked whether Deputy Prime Minister Jerzy Hausner should also be in the new government, Miller said it depended on the new prime minister, who should be free to choose his own partners. "It goes without saying that it would be best if the Hausner plan were executed by Jerzy Hausner," said the prime minister. He also emphasized that for the coming five weeks the government would focus upon the draft bills needed for effective implementation of Hausner's plan, as well as upon the draft bills adjusting Polish law to EU requirements, the creation of a new health insurance act and work on preparing Poland to make efficient use of EU funds.

According to a majority of commentators, the ultimate reason for Miller's resignation was the March 25 founding of a new party, Polish Social Democracy (SDPL), by ex-SLD members headed by Borowski. Beside the Sejm Speaker, the members of the new party include former Minister of Labor Jolanta Banach, who will head the SDPL caucus, former SLD Deputy Chair Andrzej Celiñski, Deputies Izabella Sierakowska, Bogdan Lewandowski and Marek Balicki, as well as W³odzimierz Nieporêt, the disciplinary commissioner of the SLD. A Plus/Minus 30 initiative associating young leftist politicians will function as part of the new party. The SDPL might also attract members of the coalition Labor Union (UP) to join. Deputy chair of the UP, Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Tomasz Na³êcz intends to stay with his old party for a week more to convince it to merge with the SDPL and "construct a new image of Polish social democracy together."

The first SDPL congress is to take place in the fall. The authorities of the new party will be elected then, following local party elections. Its slogan is "Poland needs the left," based on three pillars-a healthy state, social democracy and Europe. The SDPL will present its own list of candidates for the elections to the European Parliament.

Borowski justified his move by expressing disappointment with the SLD. "Over two and a half years, over four million voters have turned their backs on the SLD," said Borowski. "They indicated that they did not like the way the Alliance was being governed and functioning, that they were disappointed with it, that the party had let them down. It's not possible [for the left] to recover public trust in that party. We have been disillusioned. The Alliance is endangered by a further fall in support and even elimination from the political scene." Borowski emphasized that in making the decision to leave the SLD he was prepared for the possibility of resigning from the office of the Sejm Speaker. According to Borowski, if a motion for his dismissal emerges, the SDPL will not take part in the vote.

"We are critical towards the initiative of founding a new party," said SLD Chair Krzysztof Janik. "It's a bad decision, made at a bad moment. It will not favor political stability in Poland, so much needed by the people, the state and the economy. It will not facilitate EU integration, including the election of a good Polish representation for the European Parliament."

The emergence of the new left is criticized by most opposition members. "In the Sejm we have had many examples of politicians leaving their parties, both on the right and on the left," said Roman Giertych, leader of the League of Polish Families (LPR). "All those deputies have shared a common fate, finally finding themselves on the margins of Sejm life." Representatives of Law and Justice (PiS) are demanding that new parliamentary elections take place in June, together with elections to the European Parliament.

According to Donald Tusk, chair of Civic Platform (PO), the party excludes the possibility of participating in or supporting the new government headed by the SLD. "The Platform will not contribute to appointing such a government, one that by definition is weak and torn," said Tusk.

posted by: Oborski at 14:34 | link | comments |