Józef Oleksy

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Józef Oleksy

Prime Minister of Poland
In office 7 March 1995 – 7 February 1996
Preceded by	Waldemar Pawlak
Succeeded by	Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz

Born	22 June 1946 Nowy Sącz, Poland
Political party	Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej

Józef Oleksy (born 22 June 1946 in Nowy Sącz) is a Polish politician, former chairman of Democratic Left Alliance (Sojusz Lewicy Demokratycznej, SLD). From 1968 to 1990 he was a member of the communist Polish United Workers' Party. Between April 21, 2004 and January 5, 2005 he was the speaker (marszałek) of the Sejm, lower house of Polish parliament. He is also a former minister of internal affairs, and was the Prime Minister of Poland from 1995 until 1996, when he resigned due to alleged connections to the KGB.

[edit] Oleksy tapes

The propaganda action created by the right-wing PiS party in Poland. The Oleksy tapes, revealing most uncomplimentary opinions of members of the post communist Democratic Left Alliance SLD by Poland's former Prime Minister and one of the leaders of the grouping may lead to general investigation. The tapes which "leaked" to the media on 22 March 2007 are a record of a private conversation Jozef Oleksy had with one of Poland's richest businessmen Aleksander Gudzowaty.

Some Polish analysts point that Gudzowaty staged meetings with leftists politicians to record their conversations. The tapes reveal the corruption which ruled in the SLD. Oleksy accused former president Aleksander Kwasniewski of illegal financial procedures, spoke very harshly of the present SLD leader Wojciech Olejkniczak and several other members of the party.

The revelation of the tapes may bring about a loss of support for the left, comment analysts, leading to a split in the SLD and help the ruling right.

Poland's justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro (member of PiS party) has decided that the tapes must be analysed. He said that should the information prove correct it would mean dealing with many cases of breaching the penal code. Minister Ziobro pointed that the people referred to in the tapes hold public functions and have to be verified. The prosecution and the National Agency for Internal Security have already begun investigations as to the authenticity of the tapes.

Jozef Oleksy has publicly apologised for his remarks in what he said was a strictly private conversation. SLD leaders and those mentioned in the tapes are considering to take legal action against Jozef Oleksy.

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Preceded by Wieslaw Chrzanowski	Sejm Marshal 1993–1995	Succeeded by Józef Zych
Preceded by Waldemar Pawlak	Prime Minister of Poland 1995–1996	Succeeded by Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz
Preceded by Marek Borowski	Sejm Marshal 2004–2005	Succeeded by Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz