Solidarity Says No to General’s Bid in Poland

Gen. Czeslaw Kiszczak’s bid to be prime minister ran into difficulty today after Solidarity declared its opposition to him and the Communist coalition acknowledged that it is divided.

Across Poland today, food prices soared by up to 500%, the bitter cost of the government’s swift push toward a free-market economy.

Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity free trade union, called for opposition lawmakers in Parliament’s lower house, or Sejm, to vote against Kiszczak, the ruling Communist Party’s nominee for prime minister. His brief statement was issued just minutes before the lawmaking body was to meet to consider the nomination.

However, after a series of consultations in Parliament, it was decided to postpone Kiszczak’s nomination and debate on his candidacy at least until Wednesday.

The Communist-allied Peasant Party, whose 76 votes are needed to give the Communist delegation a working majority of lawmakers, did not announce its stance.

After battling on Monday to snap up goods at the old prices, long-suffering Poles bore the unprecedented hikes with resignation.

When shops opened today they found a loaf of bread had more than doubled in price to 200 zloties (24 cents) while milk cost 180 zloties (22 cents) a bottle, four times the old price.

“This is ridiculous but what can we do?” shrugged one pensioner at Warsaw’s Koszykowa market.