Poland's EU yes vote boosts prime minister

WARSAW, Poland -- Invigorated by his country's decisive vote to join the European Union, Poland's prime minister called Monday for a confidence vote in his government to end speculation it is too weak to push through reforms required for EU membership.

Leszek Miller said he would step down if the vote failed. But he projected confidence that the support Poles showed for EU membership during a weekend referendum would extend to him.

"All those discussions suggesting that the government does not have a majority in parliament are based on illusions," Miller told a news conference. "It is time to put an end to these discussions."

Miller, who took office 20 months ago, also proposed moving early elections to the spring of 2005, defying an agreement with President Aleksander Kwasniewski to hold elections next June.

Miller's approval ratings sank to the lowest levels in post-communist Poland last month, hurt by corruption scandals and doubts over whether he could turn around record 19-percent unemployment and push through remaining EU reforms before accession next May.

Parliament still must approve dozens of reforms before accession day, including implementing EU legal standards to fight rampant corruption and simplifying investment laws and bureaucratic procedures.

Miller's Democratic Left Alliance controls 45 percent of seats in parliament. Since dumping the defiant Peasants Party in March, Miller has managed to cobble together majorities on all parliamentary votes taken so far.

If Miller's gamble fails, parliamentary elections could come much sooner. Under Poland's constitution, the president and parliament each get a chance to put together another government. If both fail, immediate elections must be held.

No date has been set for the confidence vote, but the leader of parliament said it won't be during the next session on Wednesday.

Only the Peasants Party, with 39 seats in the 460-seat lower parliament, said they were open to talks on renewing their support for Miller's government.

Leaders of other major opposition parties, both pro- and anti-EU, called for Miller's resignation.

"The best solution is a change of the prime minister, within the Democratic Left Alliance," said Civic Platform leader Bronislaw Komorowski.

Kwasniewski, who has openly questioned whether Miller's government was stable enough to see through remaining EU reforms before accession next May, welcomed the prospect of a confidence vote to ensure support for the measures.

A combative Miller took several direct hits at the president, seeking to reassert his power and ending a truce on political sniping observed during the monthlong campaign to get Poland into the EU.

"No one is going to dictate to us who should be in charge of the party," Miller told a party meeting earlier Monday. "Right now, what we need is to take the offensive."

Miller and Kwasniewski were to meet later Monday to discuss moving ahead with unfinished reforms.

The two men are both former communists who joined the same democratic party after the changes in 1989, but have very little affinity for one another. Kwasniewski, who had to quit the Democratic Left Alliance when he became president, defined as a nonpartisan post in Poland, is a potential party rival when his second term expires in 2005.

Seeking to create confidence, Miller said he would delegate the most important economic policy decisions to the economics minister. The move effectively sidelines Finance Minister Grzegorz Kolodko, fueling speculation that he would be at least the 10th Cabinet member to go.

He also proposed simplifying Poland's complex tax system, which long has raised the ire of businessmen and investors, by introducing a flat income tax rate for individuals and businesses.

"We need new strong impulses to help the economy develop," Miller said "We need to go further than so far."

He also pledged to introduce measures to combat corruption scandals.