Proposed changes to local government elections seen as biased towards SLD

The government proposed changes yesterday that would allow candidates for city mayors and gmina directors to be automatically elected in local e lections if they managed to get at least 50% of the votes in the first round, should they fail a second round of voting would be held among local councilors to choose one of the candidates. This proposal of semi-direct elections for leaders of local and city councils, which is seen as favorable for the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), has provoked strong criticisms from the Polish Peasants Party (PSL) and the Civic Platform (PO) who attacked the SLD for backtracking on it previous declarations. "If one is simply po litically maneuvering, one should not pretend he is improving the system of local government," said Maciej Plazynski, who is one of the leaders of PO. "It is hard to say whether the PSL would support such a proposal. The SLD is simply acting in its own political interests," added Zbigniew Kuzmiuk from the PSL. (Zycie p. 4; Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 4) M.K.