Change of guard will not weaken the Hausner plan

Banach, known for her criticism of social benefits cuts, is thought to be prime minister's favorite to succeed him, in an apparent attempt to regain the party's left-wing credentials. Deputy Prime Minister Jerzy Hausner said that her nomination would not weaken the party's determination to support the plan of public spending cuts, known as the Hausner plan. "The same would be the case, if someone else takes the position," he added. The current list of candidates, including Andrzej Celiński, SLD vice-chairman, Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdziński and Deputy Prime Minister Józef Oleksy, is not closed, the party's leaders insist. "A wholly new name could crop up on March 6 [at the SLD convention]," Hausner said. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p.5) A.N.