Aleksandra Wiktorow named to replace Leslaw Gajek as ZUS chairman

Aleksandra Wiktorow will replace Leslaw Gajek as chairman of the Social Insurance Office (ZUS), following Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek's dismissal of Gajek on Friday. The choice of Wiktorow, until now a member of the ZUS supervisory board, came as a surprise to many observers who had expected the chair would go to Ewa Lewicka, the government plenipotentiary for social security. 'I did not expect this offer at all, but the Prime Minister asked me to take the chair, since this difficult situation needs a quick solution,' Wiktorow said afterwards. According to the new chairman, Gajek was extremely successful in improving the organization of ZUS operations, but was too slow in dismissing vice-chairman Adam Kapica, who was responsible for the introduction of a faulty computer system in the office. The appointment was welcomed by ZUS employees, who had threatened to go on protest strike in defense of Gajek in case Lewicka was chosen. (Gazeta Wyborcza, May 19-20, p.1; Rzeczpospolita, May 19-20, p.A1) J.K.