NATIONAL COUNCIL

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 42, 19 February 1942, Page 9

NATIONAL COUNCIL

POLISH GOVERNMENT

The following cable advice has been received from London by the ConsulGeneral of Poland, Wellington:—

"The Polish National Democratic Party which recently resigned from the Government for the reason that its members were opposed to the signing of the Polish-Russian agreement, now fully realises the implications of this agreement and has decided to withdraw its resignation and re-enter the National Government in London. Two members belonging to this party, Mr. M. Seyda and Professor T. Komarnicki, were recently appointed Ministers of Reconstruction and Justice respectively.. At the same time, Mr. Kwapinski, one of the Polish Socialist leaders, who was deported and till recently imprisoned in Russia, was also appointed as an additional member of the Polish Cabinet. .

"Simultaneously, the President of Poland appointed, owing to the fact that elections cannot take place in occupied Poland, on the broadcast democratic basis, a new National Council, which will replace the Polish Parliament, and which is comprised of representatives of the exiled Poles in London and Russia. This council consists of five members of each of the four parties, i.e., National Democratic, Labour, Socialistic, and Peasants, and nine Independent representatives. The number of Jewish representatives is increased from one to two, and some seats are reserved for representatives of the Ukrainians. Professor S. T. Grabski, a prvious civilian prisoner in Soviet Russia, was elected chairman. This new National Council will discuss the new Budget and lay the foundations for a future democratic organisation of Poland in connection with the prospective Czecho-Slovakian-Polish Union."