Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06WARSAW2063
2006-09-22 13:59:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Warsaw
Cable title:
SO LEADER LEPPER FORCED OUT OF GOVERNMENT AMID
how-tonull Anne W McNeill 10/06/2006 04:23:45 PM From DB/Inbox: Anne W McNeill Cable Text: C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 02063 SIPDIS CXWARSAW: ACTION: POL INFO: RSO ORA FCS ODC ECON DCM DAO CONS AMB AGRI MGT KRA PASC DISSEMINATION: POLO CHARGE: PROG APPROVED: POL:MCURTIN DRAFTED: POL:DHLVANCLEVE CLEARED: NONE VZCZCWRI707 OO RUEHC RUEHZL RUEHKW DE RUEHWR #2063 2651359 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 221359Z SEP 06 FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2064 RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY INFO RUEHKW/AMCONSUL KRAKOW IMMEDIATE 1312
C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 002063
SIPDIS
EUR FOR NCE/KOSTELANCIK AND PUTNEY
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2021
TAGS: PREL PGOV PROG PL
SUBJECT: SO LEADER LEPPER FORCED OUT OF GOVERNMENT AMID
RUMORS OF EARLY ELECTIONS
Classified By: Political Counselor Mary T. Curtin for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 002063
SIPDIS
EUR FOR NCE/KOSTELANCIK AND PUTNEY
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2021
TAGS: PREL PGOV PROG PL
SUBJECT: SO LEADER LEPPER FORCED OUT OF GOVERNMENT AMID
RUMORS OF EARLY ELECTIONS
Classified By: Political Counselor Mary T. Curtin for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (SBU) Summary: Polish PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski on the
evening of September 19 forced out his Agriculture Minister,
Andrzej Lepper, in a surprise move that has many speculating
that early elections will be called for November. Kaczynski
gave as an explanation only that Lepper had been a disruptive
voice, constantly criticizing Kaczynski himself and his Law
and Justice (PiS) party and its policies. Lepper, the head
of Self Defense (SO),one of the GOP's two junior coalition
parties, is a flamboyant populist who had sought to recast
his image as a senior statesman. He has been taking open
swings at PiS in recent weeks over the budget and foreign
policy, and with his ouster returned to lustier form,
castigating the PM with cuss words that were carried in
banner headlines in the Polish press the morning of September
22. PiS leaders say the are seeking to build a new majority
by encouraging defections from SO, but say they might go to
early elections if they cannot get a renewed vote of
confidence. End Summary.
2. (SBU) The motives for this sudden move (a Kaczynski
specialty) are not entirely clear, but probably are part of
their long-term goal of building a strong conservative party
in part by stealing voters and leaders from others.
Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party (PiS) has long sought to
coopt its junior parties' supporters, leveling its aim first
at the League of Polish Families (LPR),and now squarely at
SO. PiS is actively wooing disaffected SO deputies (and
probably even SO ministers--it only threw out Lepper himself)
in hopes of cobbling together a parliamentary majority. PiS
will turn to its only other possible partner, the Polish
Peasant Party (PSL) to join the government. To muster a
majority, PiS would need PSL and eighteen SO deputies -- four
so far have announced plans to quit SO and join PiS. Jozef
Cepil, one of the four renegade SO deputies, announced that
he will join ranks with five former LPR deputies to form a
"New Parliamentary Circle," that would support a recobbled,
PiS-led coalition. However, in the run up to elections last
year, Lepper had each SO candidate "voluntarily" sign a
pledge to refund campaign funds to SO should they quit the
party before the end of the parliamentary term. In recent
weeks PiS quietly sought legal advice and determined that
these loyalty pledges were not legally enforceable.
3. (SBU) PiS leaders have announced they are considering
introducing a vote of confidence measure next week, and will
consider a disillusion measure if that fails. A possible new
date for elections, November 26, has been identified. That
would be two weeks after local elections are held nationwide,
and provides for electoral symmetry, given that any second
electoral round for local races (as seems likely in the big
prizes, notably Warsaw) would be held November 26. It would
also set Poland up for simultaneous presidential and
parliamentary elections in 2010, another symmetry PiS
strategists believe would favor their party. Daily Zycie
Warszawy reported a majority of Poles support early elections
and intend to vote.
4. (SBU) LPR's Roman Giertych, the other junior partner in
the GOP coalition, has maintained a very low profile, knowing
that early elections would almost certainly be a disaster for
his party. His public reaction to Lepper's ouster was to say
that the Prime Minister had "no other option" but to dismiss
him. Of all of the current political figures, Giertych is
the least anxious to go to elections. LPR consistently polls
below five percent, the mandatory minimum for parliamentary
representation.
5. (C) Comment: At this stage, with PiS scrambling to pull
together a new majority, early elections seem more likelier
than not. PiS political strategists have advocated early
elections repeatedly, and believe that PiS enjoys an
electoral advantage now that may not hold out much longer.
Ironically, one beneficiary to fall elections may be Andrzej
Lepper himself, who has been effective in gaining budgetary
concessions for his core constituents, notably farmers, and
could improve his showing by building on that success along
with a renewed pugnaciousness his voters have always loved.
End comment.
ASHE
SIPDIS
EUR FOR NCE/KOSTELANCIK AND PUTNEY
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2021
TAGS: PREL PGOV PROG PL
SUBJECT: SO LEADER LEPPER FORCED OUT OF GOVERNMENT AMID
RUMORS OF EARLY ELECTIONS
Classified By: Political Counselor Mary T. Curtin for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (SBU) Summary: Polish PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski on the
evening of September 19 forced out his Agriculture Minister,
Andrzej Lepper, in a surprise move that has many speculating
that early elections will be called for November. Kaczynski
gave as an explanation only that Lepper had been a disruptive
voice, constantly criticizing Kaczynski himself and his Law
and Justice (PiS) party and its policies. Lepper, the head
of Self Defense (SO),one of the GOP's two junior coalition
parties, is a flamboyant populist who had sought to recast
his image as a senior statesman. He has been taking open
swings at PiS in recent weeks over the budget and foreign
policy, and with his ouster returned to lustier form,
castigating the PM with cuss words that were carried in
banner headlines in the Polish press the morning of September
22. PiS leaders say the are seeking to build a new majority
by encouraging defections from SO, but say they might go to
early elections if they cannot get a renewed vote of
confidence. End Summary.
2. (SBU) The motives for this sudden move (a Kaczynski
specialty) are not entirely clear, but probably are part of
their long-term goal of building a strong conservative party
in part by stealing voters and leaders from others.
Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party (PiS) has long sought to
coopt its junior parties' supporters, leveling its aim first
at the League of Polish Families (LPR),and now squarely at
SO. PiS is actively wooing disaffected SO deputies (and
probably even SO ministers--it only threw out Lepper himself)
in hopes of cobbling together a parliamentary majority. PiS
will turn to its only other possible partner, the Polish
Peasant Party (PSL) to join the government. To muster a
majority, PiS would need PSL and eighteen SO deputies -- four
so far have announced plans to quit SO and join PiS. Jozef
Cepil, one of the four renegade SO deputies, announced that
he will join ranks with five former LPR deputies to form a
"New Parliamentary Circle," that would support a recobbled,
PiS-led coalition. However, in the run up to elections last
year, Lepper had each SO candidate "voluntarily" sign a
pledge to refund campaign funds to SO should they quit the
party before the end of the parliamentary term. In recent
weeks PiS quietly sought legal advice and determined that
these loyalty pledges were not legally enforceable.
3. (SBU) PiS leaders have announced they are considering
introducing a vote of confidence measure next week, and will
consider a disillusion measure if that fails. A possible new
date for elections, November 26, has been identified. That
would be two weeks after local elections are held nationwide,
and provides for electoral symmetry, given that any second
electoral round for local races (as seems likely in the big
prizes, notably Warsaw) would be held November 26. It would
also set Poland up for simultaneous presidential and
parliamentary elections in 2010, another symmetry PiS
strategists believe would favor their party. Daily Zycie
Warszawy reported a majority of Poles support early elections
and intend to vote.
4. (SBU) LPR's Roman Giertych, the other junior partner in
the GOP coalition, has maintained a very low profile, knowing
that early elections would almost certainly be a disaster for
his party. His public reaction to Lepper's ouster was to say
that the Prime Minister had "no other option" but to dismiss
him. Of all of the current political figures, Giertych is
the least anxious to go to elections. LPR consistently polls
below five percent, the mandatory minimum for parliamentary
representation.
5. (C) Comment: At this stage, with PiS scrambling to pull
together a new majority, early elections seem more likelier
than not. PiS political strategists have advocated early
elections repeatedly, and believe that PiS enjoys an
electoral advantage now that may not hold out much longer.
Ironically, one beneficiary to fall elections may be Andrzej
Lepper himself, who has been effective in gaining budgetary
concessions for his core constituents, notably farmers, and
could improve his showing by building on that success along
with a renewed pugnaciousness his voters have always loved.
End comment.
ASHE