Prime Minister joins in condemnation as Lepper faces possible dismissal

The future of Andrzej Lepper as deputy Sejm speaker is in doubt, after it became clear that the majority of Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) members would not support him. Prime Minister Leszek Miller said yesterday, "In view of the actions of Mr. Andrzej Lepper, I could not imagine this government working with him as deputy speaker." SLD Sejm member Jozef Oleksy told Rzeczpospolita that the majority of SLD deputies will support Lepper's dismissal. SLD members are said to be shocked by Lepper's recent verbal assault on Foreign Minister Wlodziemierz Cimoszewicz. Besides the political consequences of his actions, Lepper may also be facing criminal proceedings, after the Prosecutor's Office in Olsztyn launched an investigation into charges that his attack on Cimoszewicz constituted an insult to a public official. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 4; Rzeczpospolita, p. A3) P.W.