Four or even five regional governors - in addition to the promised ministries - is what the Peasant’s Party (PSL) are now demanding from Civic Platform in the new ruling coalition.
So far, PSL have been promised the ministries of economy, agriculture, environment, and labour and social policy. But PSL leader Waldemar Pawlak is a much tougher negotiator than previously expected and PO was wrong to have believed that the new coalition was a done deal.
“PSL wants to rule in the Podkarpackie, Lubelskie, Świętokrzyskie and Podlaskie regions (all in East and South-East Poland) as well”, a PO MP has told the paper anonymously and added that there has also been talk of the Mazowieckie region (central Poland).
PO will not give up the four voivode positions to the Peasant’s Party so easily, as they are highly strategic ones: voivodes are directly responsible for implementing government policies in their regions.
“We’re not too eager to give them the voivodes. They’ve managed to negotiate a lot for themselves anyway”, the anonymous PO member complains and adds that that Waldemar Pawlak is a hard player who will do anything to have his way.
Former PSL chairman Janusz Wojciechowski confirms that Waldemar Pawlak “is stubborn”.
“Pawlak has an excellent negotiating position now, because PO has no one else to go now to form a coalition”, Wojciechowski says.