Former PM Józef Oleksy passes away

Józef Oleksy, former Prime Minister of Poland and speaker of Sejm, passed away at the age 68. Oleksy was born on June 26, 1946 in Nowy Sącz. He was raised catholic and entered minor seminary, which was later shut down by the communists. Oleksy signed up to the Polish communist party in 1969. He represented the communist regime at the round table talks with the democratic opposition in 1989, which led to the fall of communism. After democratic transition he joined post-communist Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) and served as PM between 1995-1996. He was also speaker of Sejm twice – in 1993-1995 and 2004-2005. Oleksy died of cancer in Warsaw hospital.