To go or not to go? Pressure on the Treasury Minister to resign continues

Treasury Minster Emil Wasacz, who has been accused of mishandling privatization and is under pressure to quit, says he has no plans to step down. Last week, the Sejm's treasury committee asked Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek to sack Wasacz over the sell-off of Poland's largest insurer Powszechny Zaklad Ubezpieczen S.A. (PZU). The Prime Minister has 30 days to respond to the motion. Solidarity Electoral Action (AWS) believe that neither Buzek nor the party leader Marian Krzaklewski want to get rid of Wasacz. This is because they feel it would harm the privatization program of the minority government, which envisages selling off the majority of state-owned companies by the end of 2002. If Buzec does keep Wasacz in the cabinet, he could still be ousted in a no-confidence vote in the Sem (Zycie, page 5, Reuters) P.S)