Poland's Left in 'back to the future' leadership vote

Leszek Miller; photo - Pawel Supernak

The 65-year-old replaces Grzegorz Napieralski, who bowed out after poor results in the 9 October general election, during which SLD secured 8.2 percent of the vote.

Miller gained 320 votes on Saturday from his fellow party members. In second place was Marek Balt, who received 50 votes while Joanna Senysyn obtained 28 votes.

“We are people of the left,” Miller declared shortly after the results were announced.

“We are people who are optimistic about society, and that is why we believe that Poland can be a better country, be better governed, be better organised and that the Polish state can be more just to its citizens,” the former prime minister said.

Miller, who served as prime minister of Poland from 2001 and 2004, said that SLD will “consistently serve working people, who are the worst off today and who live with the awareness of unequal opportunities.”

The new leader was a former member of the Polish communist party (PZPR) who took part in the so-called Round Table talks of 1989, which saw the Solidarity-led opposition push through democratic reform.

Miller resigned as head of the SLD-led coalition in March 2004, after a series of corruption scandals, with the party itself gaining only 11.3 percent in the 2005 general election.

An SLD-led coalition, called Left and Democrats (LiD) won 13 percent of the vote in the 2007 general election, but the grouping was dissolved shortly afterwards.

The party tried to promote a younger generation of politicians to the leadership in an attenpt to distance itself from its past. After the move failed to restore the popularity of the party ,however, it has now reverted back to the 'old guard', which Miller represents. (nh/pg)