Happy birthday Senate! - 80 today

Today the Senate celebrates its 80th anniversary. During the last election c ampaign, representatives of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) called for it s dissolution but with the anniversary those proposals seem to have been for gotten. President Kwasniewski declared his support for the upper chamber. "W hether the Senate remains part of the political system is a question to be a nswered by a prophet rather than by a president. Still, for five years the S enate has proved to perform a very important function within the system and has managed to keep its position," he said yesterday at a conference devoted to the role of the Senate. The higher chamber is necessary to debate the dec isions made by the Sejm. "Generally, I support the idea of a one-chamber par liament, but at present the Senate is essential due to the low level of Poli sh political culture," said Longin Pastusiak, one of the Senators. (Rzeczpos polita, p. A3) K.Z.