Polish crisis: Polish Prime Minister Mr Leszek Miller said yesterday he would resign the day after his country joins the European Union on May 1st, caving in to pressure from rebels in his own party.
Mr Miller said his decision followed an acrimonious split in the ex-communist Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) when 30 members announced they were leaving to found a new party.
"If my departure is to serve Poland and Poland's left, my choice is to resign from leading the government," he said at a joint news conference with President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
Under Poland's constitution, the president appoints the prime minister who then needs to win a vote of confidence in parliament.
"I informed the president that, taking all circumstances into consideration and using my constitutional rights, I will resign on May 2," Mr Miller said in Warsaw after leaving the Brussels summit earlier in the day.
Mr Miller stressed that his government will see Poland through entry into the EU and he would stay on until a successor is found and voted in by parliament.