After heated disputes, Wojciech Olejniczak, who lost the Democratic Left Alliance leader vote to Grzegorz Napieralski, was ultimately chosen as head of the Left Club, the remains of the LiD coalition.
Both Napieralski and Olejniczak claim that their intentions are to build a strong and undivided Democratic Left Alliance and to cooperate fruitfully.
It is, however, common knowledge that Napieralski, after extensive talks, ultimately offered Olejniczak to remain on this position, because he wanted to avoid an all-party vote of confidence, which Olejniczak stood a good chance of winning.
After parting ways with the Democratic Party (PD) and the Social Democracy of Poland (SdPl), the Left and Democrats (LiD) coalition was renamed Left Club (KL) and is now composed of 40 MPs from SLD and two remaining lawmakers from SdPl, who remained in what is now the Left Club to express their opposition to splits in the Polish left. (mn)