SLD struggles to overturn latest vote on Rywin commission report

The ruling Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) suffered a crushing defeat in Parliament on Friday as the opposition voted through a report on the Rywingate corruption scandal. The report calls for President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former prime minister Leszek Miller and former justice minister Grzegorz Kurczuk to face the State Tribunal. The SLD's carelessness allowed the opposition to push through a change in the voting procedure, according to which the Sejm voted on five alternative reports prepared by opposition members of the special commission appointed to investigate the scandal. In a damage-control effort, the SLD sought to push through the report drafted by Self-Defense deputy Jan Łączny, which would likely be the least damaging for the ruling party. However, Self-Defense played a nasty trick by switching support from Łączny's report to that of Law and Justice's (PiS) Zbigniew Ziobro, the harshest report of all. The SLD still claims that it is not clear whether the fact that Ziobro's report received absolute majority of votes is sufficient, or whether another vote is necessary. The matter will be resolved once the Sejm reconvenes after the elections to the European Parliament. (Gazeta Wyborcza, May 29-30, p. 1) T.J.