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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Walesa Will Accept Former Communist

Compiled From Wire Services

President Lech Walesa, a fierce anti-Communist, on Wednesday accepted a former Communist as Poland’s next prime minister in an effort to break the country’s deadlocked politics.

The move came after Walesa forced the resignation of Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak by threatening to dissolve parliament. Pawlak, 35, resigned Tuesday night.

Walesa “does not oppose” the candidacy of Jozef Oleksy, the speaker of parliament, his spokesman said. Walesa telephoned Oleksy to discuss the possibility of his forming a new Cabinet. The two men are expected to meet today.

Oleksy, 48, is a leading member of the Democratic Left Alliance, the reconstituted Communist party that formed the current Cabinet with Pawlak’s Peasants’ Party after 1993 elections.