Poland
Polish Political Party Benefited From Archbishops problems
Classified Polnews
Warsaw, Poland 14 January 2007. - Poland's political party League Of Polish Families, LPR, objected to the failure of the Speaker of Poland's Parliament, Marek Jurek, to attend the ceremony at which Polish Archbishop Wielgus resigned. And it used the occasion to make some significant political gains.
First, LPR demanded that Jurek resign for the slight in order for LPR to support the Government's candidate, Slawomir Skrzypek, in the parliamentary vote for the position of President of the National Bank of Poland.
At a last minute meeting between Prime Minister Kaczynski and the leader of LPR, Roman Giertych, the demand was dropped and Giertych left the meeting with a promise to have 500 Million additional Zloty budgeted for teachers' pay.
To be sure that he was not going to hear excuses later that the money could not be found, he demanded guarantees that the money would be paid. Meetings were held but no resolutions have been announced.
Giertych finally supported Skrzypek in the vote that gave him the position of President of the National Bank of Poland.
Reports are that Giertych was given concessions beyond additional money for teachers. It may be in place of the guarantees he wanted.
Giertych has long wanted his party to control the Polish Radio And TV Board. It appears that his candidate for the President of that Board will be approved and people from his party will be appointed so that he will have control.
There are many people denying that deals were made.
LPR, through party member Wokciech Wierzejski denied that support for Skrzypek was in return for any political favors.
The Chief of President Kaczynski's Chancellery said that there were no political deals made in regard to the vote on Skrzypek. The members of the Polish Parliament knew his qualifications and views.
Marek Kuchinski of the Law and Justice party said that there was just an agreement to speed up work on some bills.
But opposition party Civic Platform member Bronislaw Komorowski said that it was political hypocrisy. He said the Polish people know deals were done and it is the way that Law And Justice fills positions with incompetent people.
So what started as a demand to punish someone who did not go to Archbishop Wielgus aborted installation ceremony turned into possible pay raises for teachers, faster work on some proposed bills in the Polish Parliament and maybe some other back room political concessions.
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