In the spotlight: Marek Belka
Not only did the three motions for the dissolution of government submitted by Civic Platform (PO), the League of Polish Families (LPR), and Law and Justice (PiS) fail to pass in the parliamentary debate held on May 5, but President Aleksander Kwaśniewski also officially rejected Belka's resignation a day later.
The dissolution result was hardly a surprise as 307 votes out of 460 were required in order to obtain the majority to pass the motion. The popularity of Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), which holds the biggest number of seats in parliament, has slumped dramatically in the recent months leaving little hope for the party's participation in the Sejm or the Senate in the next term. It would have been a suicidal step for the SLD to support the idea.
The Prime Minister himself has already announced his intention to leave the SLD for the benefit of the newly-created Democratic Party founded by Jerzy Hausner, Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Władysław Frasyniuk.
A former Deputy Prime Minister and twice Minister of Finance, Marek Belka is a resourceful economist with World Bank experience and was in charge of economic policy for the US-led coalition in Iraq. He studied economy at Columbia and Chicago Universities in the US and became a Professor at Łódż University, his Alma Mater. He has published several books and over 100 articles on anti-inflation policy in developed countries, Milton Friedman-socio-economic doctrine and macroeconomic policy in a transition period. K.D.
The dissolution result was hardly a surprise as 307 votes out of 460 were required in order to obtain the majority to pass the motion. The popularity of Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), which holds the biggest number of seats in parliament, has slumped dramatically in the recent months leaving little hope for the party's participation in the Sejm or the Senate in the next term. It would have been a suicidal step for the SLD to support the idea.
The Prime Minister himself has already announced his intention to leave the SLD for the benefit of the newly-created Democratic Party founded by Jerzy Hausner, Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Władysław Frasyniuk.
A former Deputy Prime Minister and twice Minister of Finance, Marek Belka is a resourceful economist with World Bank experience and was in charge of economic policy for the US-led coalition in Iraq. He studied economy at Columbia and Chicago Universities in the US and became a Professor at Łódż University, his Alma Mater. He has published several books and over 100 articles on anti-inflation policy in developed countries, Milton Friedman-socio-economic doctrine and macroeconomic policy in a transition period. K.D.
