Editing Leszek Miller (section)

==Prime Minister (2001-2004)==
Following the victory of the Left (41% vs. 12% of the subsequent party) in the Parliamentary Election in 2001, on 19 October 2001, President [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]] appointed Miller Prime Minister and obliged to nominate the government. The new government won the parliamentary vote of confidence on 26 October 2001 (306:140 votes with one abstention). The 16-person cabinet of Prime Minister Miller has been the smallest government of the Polish Republic so far.

Miller’s government faced a difficult economic situation in Poland, including an unemployment rate above 18%, a high level of public debt, and economic stagnation. At the end of Miller’s term, economic growth exceeded 6%; still, it was too slow to reduce the unemployment rate. During his term, the unpopular program of cuts in public expenses was implemented, together with a hardly successful reform of health care financing. The reforms of the tax system and of the Social Insurance Institution were continued, and the attempt to settle the mass-media market failed. Taxes were significantly lowered – to 19% for companies and for persons running business activity – and the act of freedom in business activity was voted through. A radical, structural reform of secret services was implemented (the State Security Office was dissolved and replaced by the Internal Security Agency and the Intelligence Agency).

Simultaneously, institutional and legal adjustments were continued, resulting from the accession to the [[European Union]]. The Accession conditions were negotiated, being the main strategic goal of Miller’s cabinet. On 13 December 2002, at the summit in [[Copenhagen]] (Denmark), Prime Minister Leszek Miller completed the negotiations with the European Union.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25779367 |title=Poland's Accession into the European Union: Parties, Policies and Paradoxes |journal=The Polish Review |author=Ray Taras |date=2003 |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=3–19 |jstor=25779367 |access-date=13 November 2023}}</ref> On 16 April 2003 in Athens, Miller, together with Cimoszewicz, signed the Accession Treaty, bringing Poland into the European Union. Miller’s government, in collaboration with various political and social forces, organized the accession referendum with a successful outcome. On 7 and 8 June 2003, 77.45% of the referendum participants voted in favor of Poland’s accession to the European Union. The referendum turn-out reached 58.85%.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://referendum2003.pkw.gov.pl/sww/kraj/indexA.html |language=pl  |title=Referendum ogólnokrajowe w sprawie wyrażenia zgody na ratyfikację Traktatu dotyczącego przystąpienia Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej do Unii Europejskiej |website=pkw.gov.pl |access-date=13 November 2023}}</ref>

Miller’s government, together with President Kwaśniewski, made a decision (March 2003) to join the international coalition and deploy Polish troops to Iraq, targeting at overthrowing Saddam Hussein’s government. Miller was also a co-signatory of "[[The letter of the eight|the letter of 8]]", signed by eight European prime ministers, supporting the US position on Iraq. Already in 2002, Miller gave permission to the U.S. government to run a [[Black site|secret CIA prison]] at [[Stare Kiejkuty (base)|Stare Kiejkuty military training center]], three hours north of Warsaw. Years later he is facing accusations of acting anti-constitutionally by having tolerated the imprisonment and torture of prisoners.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.worldcrunch.com/rss/world-affairs/exclusive-inside-a-secret-cia-prison-in-the-polish-countryside/scandal-torture-prisoners-black-sites-szymany/c1s10876/ | title=Exclusive: Inside A Secret CIA Prison In The Polish Countryside | publisher=Worldcrunch/Sueddeutsche | date=8 February 2013 | access-date=12 February 2013}}</ref>
On 4 December 2003, Leszek Miller suffered injuries in a [[2003 Polish Air Force Mi-8 crash|helicopter crash]] near Warsaw.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2003/12/4/polish-pm-injured-in-chopper-crash |title=Polish PM injured in chopper crash |website=aljazeera.com |date=4 December 2003 |access-date=13 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-a-2003-12-05-30-polish-67593012/389442.html |title=Polish Prime Minister Injured in Helicopter Crash - 2003-12-05 |website=Voice of America |date=30 October 2009 |access-date=13 November 2023}}</ref>
[[File:Vladimir Putin 20 December 2001-2.jpg|thumb|[[President of Russia]] [[Vladimir Putin]] with Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller (2001)]]
At the end of its term of office, Miller’s government had the lowest public support of any government since 1989. It was mainly caused by the continuing high unemployment rate, corruption scandals, with [[Rywin Affair|Rywingate]] on top, and by the attempt of fulfilling the plan of reducing social spending (the Hausner’s plan). In result of criticism in his own party, the Democratic Left Alliance, in February 2004, Miller resigned from chairing the party. Miller was criticized for an excessively liberal approach and for stressing the role of free-market mechanisms in economy. He was reproached for his acceptance of a flat tax, which ran counter to the left-wing doctrine. He was also identified with the “chieftain-like style” of leadership. On 26 March 2004, following the decision of the Speaker of the Parliament, [[Marek Borowski]], to found a new dissenting party, the [[Social Democracy of Poland]], Miller decided to resign from the position of Prime Minister on 2 May 2004, one day after Poland’s accession to the EU.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4884712 |title=Poland's prime minister steps down |website=[[NBC News]] |date=2 May 2004 |access-date=13 November 2023}}</ref> On 1 May 2004, together with President Kwaśniewski, he was in Dublin, taking part in the Grand Ceremony of the accession of 10 states, including Poland, to the European Union.