Left wing victors in Polish election aim to restore coal industry

摘要

As was widely anticipated (CWI 9-24-01) Poland's left wing coalition SLD (postcommunists) and UP (social democrats) won a sweeping victory in the parliamentary election on Sept. 23. The ruling Solidarity party's losses were unprecedented and its smaller right wing allies were eliminated from the parliament.In its economic program, the left-wing coalition declared that it will maintain coal extraction at 100 million mt/year, and boost exports to 20-22 million mt. It will also use methane from Polish mines instead of buying gas from Norway, and stop mines from being closed if they still have "rich deposits of coal."