WARSAW, 29 March 2004 — With just five weeks to European Union membership, Poland has been plunged into political crisis, with the jury out on whether Prime Minister Leszek Miller’s resignation will lead to early elections. The deeply unpopular Miller, his leftist Democratic Alliance (SLD) languishing in the opinion polls, said on Friday he would step down on May 2, a day after Poland joins the EU. The ruling party has so far rejected calls for an early election.
President Aleksander Kwasnieski said he would hold consultations today and hoped to name a successor to replace Miller immediately after he steps down, with the aim of installing a new government by May 16, within the 14-day limit set by Polish law.
Less than a month later, Poles will be called to elect their 54 representatives to the European Parliament. The SLD — which has the support of just nine percent of the population according to a poll released this weekend — insisted on Saturday that it could form a government that works.
Poland’s political landscape is somewhat altered by the departure of 27 SLD members, who broke away on Friday to form a new party — Polish Social Democracy — led by Parliament Speaker Marek Borowski.
The left-wing split prompted Miller’s demise after months of clinging on to the post of prime minister, as his party faced a series of corruption scandals and policy problems.
Andrzej Celinski, one of the 27 defectors, was cautious yesterday, telling private Radio Zet that while the new party might take part in a new government, he could not rule out early elections late this year.
Meanwhile the parliamentary opposition is calling for a general election to be held on June 13, at the same time as the European elections. General elections are currently scheduled for late next year.
“It is the only way in which we can have basic political stability and carry out a sound policy at the internal and European level,” Donald Tusk, the leader of the main liberal opposition party, the Civic Platform, said on Saturday.
Polish Social Democracy, the newly-formed party which has split the left wing in two, had the support of 11 percent of voters, according to the poll.
