UW sees fortunes dim as AWS, SLD carve up local councils
But even though the center-right AWS and center-left SLD carved up the local-government between them, many city officials said neither party was likely to bring about drastic change on major issues.
"The biggest paradox ... is that the central points to the programs, from left to right, are similar," said Rafal Jesswein, press spokesperson for the city of Szczecin.
The new Szczecin City Council is split between SLD (24) and AWS (21) with the UW (8), Independent Social Movement (NRS-6) and Osiedlowce (1) coming in behind, Jesswein said. This means a three-seat increase for SLD, which could become powerful if the remaining seats do not form an opposing coalition (which previously held 39 seats), he added.
"AWS and UW have got enough votes to not give up power, but not enough votes to maintain power," Jesswein said.
Regardless of the coalition that eventually emerges, all parties in Szczecin will likely make the construction of two main bridges and a new waste-water treatment plant their priorities, Jesswein said.
A blur in party lines would be good news for UW supporters in Gdansk, where the party lost almost half the seats with which it started the last term. In Gdansk, the final vote left AWS (36) on top, SLD (16) second and UW (8) last, said Bolena Jasienska, a spokesperson for the city of Gdansk.
"In general, in the Tri-cities AWS won," Jasienska said, adding that UW lost the Gdansk presidency to AWS' Pawel Adamowicz. "They won it all and they didn't share a thing."
But even taking it all doesn't mean smooth sailing. A similar party breakdown was seen in Gdynia, but political bickering could make work difficult for AWS, said Joanna Grajter, press spokesperson for the city of Gdynia.
More than half of the 50 seats in Gdynia's city council went to AWS (29), with SLD (14) again taking second place and UW (5) lagging far behind, Grajter said. A local party, Konwencja Gdanska, managed to pull out two seats, she said.
"SLD has a choice between acting prudently and getting points for the next term, or acting out of line, like they are already doing," Grajter said, adding that SLD in this election increased its representation on the council by three seats. "Those from SLD will try to bother (their opponents) and use nasty tricks (against them)."
In Wroclaw, where a local Freedom Union dominated coalition called Wroclaw 2000 Plus won 26 seats on the city council, the intellectual-oriented party was disappointed that it did not gain a clear mandate.
While it is likely that Bogdan Zdrojewski (UW), mayor of Wroclaw since 1990, will maintain his post, his party will most likely be bound into a coalition with AWS (22) and other key positions in the city will be split between the two parties. SLD lagged behind AWS by one seat and Rodzina Polska got one seat on the Wroclaw city council.
But even if UW has to share power there are no disagreements about the city's development strategy, said Jacek Protasiewicz, head of the City Promotion and International Relations Office.
"Of course it is going to be harder," Protasiewicz said. "But we believe that the coalition is in agreement about the most important directions of development of the city." City development in Wroclaw means completing a beltway or bypass to segregate local, intercity and international traffic, which are all currently funneled through the city center, Protasiewicz said.
"The most important thing is un-jamming the city and moving the traffic to a beltway," Protasiewicz said.
Wroclaw city officials are also hoping to develop a "high-tech park" in the city to encourage foreign investment that would build on the city's strong educational foundations, Protasiewicz said.
"We need to attract high technology like in Krakow," Protasiewicz said. "We have 60,000 full-time students in Wroclaw, our Technical University is enormous."
In Krakow, UW (Jozef Lassota) lost the presidency to AWS (Andrzej Golas), as AWS consolidated its power with 38 out of 75 seats.
UW, as part of a three-party grouping with Unia Polityki Realnej and Rada Inicjatyw Odsiedlowych, will stay in the ruling coalition with AWS, though, giving the AWS-led coalition an 18-seat majority on the council.
In lodz it was SLD (44) that defeated UW (10). As AWS (26) increased its share of seats by three, SLD's Tadeusz Matusiak stole away the title of mayor from UW's Marek Czekalski.
In Poznan the suitable adage may be "You may have lost the battle, but you haven't lost the war." The elections were another blow to UW, which won only 16 seats, but the union remains in heated coalition talks with AWS, which won 24 seats. While in shear numbers SLD (25 seats) won the elections, it is likely to be excluded from the governing coalition.
The Katowice section of AWS (which ruled in the previous term under the name Katowickie Porozumienie Samorzadowe) continues to maintain a slight majority. While AWS (26) lost five seats on the 55-member city council, it gained a one-vote majority on the council by forming a coalition with the two members of Stowarzyszenie Mieszkancow Katowic. Piotr Uszok (AWS) took over as mayor from Henryk Dziewior (KPS).
"The biggest paradox ... is that the central points to the programs, from left to right, are similar," said Rafal Jesswein, press spokesperson for the city of Szczecin.
The new Szczecin City Council is split between SLD (24) and AWS (21) with the UW (8), Independent Social Movement (NRS-6) and Osiedlowce (1) coming in behind, Jesswein said. This means a three-seat increase for SLD, which could become powerful if the remaining seats do not form an opposing coalition (which previously held 39 seats), he added.
"AWS and UW have got enough votes to not give up power, but not enough votes to maintain power," Jesswein said.
Regardless of the coalition that eventually emerges, all parties in Szczecin will likely make the construction of two main bridges and a new waste-water treatment plant their priorities, Jesswein said.
A blur in party lines would be good news for UW supporters in Gdansk, where the party lost almost half the seats with which it started the last term. In Gdansk, the final vote left AWS (36) on top, SLD (16) second and UW (8) last, said Bolena Jasienska, a spokesperson for the city of Gdansk.
"In general, in the Tri-cities AWS won," Jasienska said, adding that UW lost the Gdansk presidency to AWS' Pawel Adamowicz. "They won it all and they didn't share a thing."
But even taking it all doesn't mean smooth sailing. A similar party breakdown was seen in Gdynia, but political bickering could make work difficult for AWS, said Joanna Grajter, press spokesperson for the city of Gdynia.
More than half of the 50 seats in Gdynia's city council went to AWS (29), with SLD (14) again taking second place and UW (5) lagging far behind, Grajter said. A local party, Konwencja Gdanska, managed to pull out two seats, she said.
"SLD has a choice between acting prudently and getting points for the next term, or acting out of line, like they are already doing," Grajter said, adding that SLD in this election increased its representation on the council by three seats. "Those from SLD will try to bother (their opponents) and use nasty tricks (against them)."
In Wroclaw, where a local Freedom Union dominated coalition called Wroclaw 2000 Plus won 26 seats on the city council, the intellectual-oriented party was disappointed that it did not gain a clear mandate.
While it is likely that Bogdan Zdrojewski (UW), mayor of Wroclaw since 1990, will maintain his post, his party will most likely be bound into a coalition with AWS (22) and other key positions in the city will be split between the two parties. SLD lagged behind AWS by one seat and Rodzina Polska got one seat on the Wroclaw city council.
But even if UW has to share power there are no disagreements about the city's development strategy, said Jacek Protasiewicz, head of the City Promotion and International Relations Office.
"Of course it is going to be harder," Protasiewicz said. "But we believe that the coalition is in agreement about the most important directions of development of the city." City development in Wroclaw means completing a beltway or bypass to segregate local, intercity and international traffic, which are all currently funneled through the city center, Protasiewicz said.
"The most important thing is un-jamming the city and moving the traffic to a beltway," Protasiewicz said.
Wroclaw city officials are also hoping to develop a "high-tech park" in the city to encourage foreign investment that would build on the city's strong educational foundations, Protasiewicz said.
"We need to attract high technology like in Krakow," Protasiewicz said. "We have 60,000 full-time students in Wroclaw, our Technical University is enormous."
In Krakow, UW (Jozef Lassota) lost the presidency to AWS (Andrzej Golas), as AWS consolidated its power with 38 out of 75 seats.
UW, as part of a three-party grouping with Unia Polityki Realnej and Rada Inicjatyw Odsiedlowych, will stay in the ruling coalition with AWS, though, giving the AWS-led coalition an 18-seat majority on the council.
In lodz it was SLD (44) that defeated UW (10). As AWS (26) increased its share of seats by three, SLD's Tadeusz Matusiak stole away the title of mayor from UW's Marek Czekalski.
In Poznan the suitable adage may be "You may have lost the battle, but you haven't lost the war." The elections were another blow to UW, which won only 16 seats, but the union remains in heated coalition talks with AWS, which won 24 seats. While in shear numbers SLD (25 seats) won the elections, it is likely to be excluded from the governing coalition.
The Katowice section of AWS (which ruled in the previous term under the name Katowickie Porozumienie Samorzadowe) continues to maintain a slight majority. While AWS (26) lost five seats on the 55-member city council, it gained a one-vote majority on the council by forming a coalition with the two members of Stowarzyszenie Mieszkancow Katowic. Piotr Uszok (AWS) took over as mayor from Henryk Dziewior (KPS).
