Andrzej Lepper, former deputy PM, leader of the rural-based Samoobrona (Self Defence) party – and a man sentenced to two years in prison – says he intends to be a candidate in this year’s presidential elections.
At a Self-Defence press conference following the party congress held over the weekend, Lepper also stated that he wants his party to fight in local and general elections, in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
“At the present moment I am a candidate for the presidential elections,” Lepper maintained, despite the fact he is currently waiting to serve a possible two-year jail sentence.
Lepper awaits imprisonment - pending appeal - after being found guilty, alongside Lodz MP Stanislaw Lyzwinski, of offering a party colleague, Aneta Krawczyk, the position of Lodz office manager in return for sexual favours.
Ms. Krawczyk also alleged that her three-and-a-half year old girl was the daughter of Lyzwinski, although DNA tests proved otherwise. Lepper also tested negative as being the father of Krawczyk’s youngest child.
After a court case spanning over two years, on 11 February 2010, Lepper was sentenced to two years and three months in prison.
‘Who's afraid of Lepper?’
During the Self-Defence congress, Andrzej Lepper - who was deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture in the Law and Justice-led government, 2006-07 - criticised a new bill which is to be passed by parliament forbidding citizens with a criminal record running for public office.
“Why, on the eve of the elections, are they changing the law for Andrzej Lepper?,” he asked the congress, while characteristically referring to himself in the third person. “Andrzej Lepper has not been sentenced yet,” the former deputy prime minister continued.
He added that the new legislation is being hastily run through parliament because, he claims, other parties are afraid that Self-Defence will take votes from other candidates.
Lepper underlined to the party faithful that there is a great need for Self-Defence – which currently has no MPs in parliament - as “the ruling parties make up their own rules, thinking that they are the cleverest, all-knowing and omnipotent.”
Members then held a ballot for party leader, which Andrzej Lepper won hands-down, and was unilaterally declared Self-Defence’s candidate for the presidential race, to “grand applause”, the party’s press service reports.
This will be Andrzej Lepper’s fourth attempt at running for head of state. If he loses his appeal, however, then he will be seeing the inside of a prison cell, not the presidential palace. (jb/pg)
Sources: IAR/PAP