SLD asks government to resign after Krzaklewski's dismal election results

The Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) has called on the government to resign, claiming that Marian Krzaklewski's poor showing indicates that his ruling alliance has lost the trust of a majority of Poles. Krzaklewski is the leader of Solidarity Election Action (AWS), which has ruled through a minority government since Freedom Union (UW) left the ruling coalition. Krzaklewski came third in the Presidential elections, which turned out to be a landslide victory for incumbent President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who received 54 % of the vote. Several politicians from AWS, including Sejm Speaker Maciej Plazynski, have said Krzaklewski should step down as AWS leader after having lost by such a large margin. Another post-election question is whether Andrzej Olechowski, who came in second with 17.13%, will try to form a new centrist party based on his comparatively greater support. In a Puls Biznesu poll, entrepreneurs and economists named EU accession as the most important challenge for President Kwasniewski in his second five-year term. (Puls Biznesu, page 8) T.J.