Politics In Brief: UP/SLD split; Record election costs; Health Fund head

Labor Union (UP) wants to separate from their ally Democratic Left Alliance (SLD). During the September 12th supplementary Senate elections the party will not support an SLD candidate but an independent Sosnowiec entrepreneur Piotr Hałasik. Leszek Miller said he believes that SLD and UP are now heading in two different directions. (Rzeczpospolita, 14-15 VIII, p. A3) ... The National Election Office (KBW) will need a record amount of zł.220 million for its 2005 operations. Apart from local and supplementary elections, KBW will have to finance both parliamentary and presidential elections. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A4) ... Rumor has it that Health Minister Marek Balicki wanted a Poznań hospital director, Jacek Łukomski, to become the new head of the National Health Fund (NFZ), but he declined and became a head of a ministry commission working on amendments to health service regulations instead. Balicki commented that no decisions were made concerning changing the NFZ management. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A4) D.W.