Disagreement over new party statute hints at rift within Civic Platform

Elected parliamentary members of Civic Platform (PO) met yesterday to discuss the party's statute, after an informal version of the statute naming the parliamentary party as the PO's highest authority was criticized on Sunday by the political council of the National Conservative Alliance (SKL). The SKL, a prominent faction within the PO, is demanding a more democratic party statute. "The party's regional and even national authorities should be selected during congresses and not imposed by the parliamentary party," said a supporter of former Agriculture Minister Artur Balazs. "The merger of two elements, even of similar views, has always created problems," PO leader Maciej Plazynski told Rzeczpospolita. He did not rule out the statute being adopted at the next meeting of the parliamentary party. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 4; Rzeczpospolita, p. A3) A.Z.