in local and regional elections - October 27, 2002

The Executive of the Silesian Autonomy Movement (Ruch Autonomii Slaska) have decided to form an electoral committee to put up candidates in coming local and regional elections in districts of woj. �l�skie and opolskie (Upper Silesia, Poland)

Silesian Autonomy Movement officials have announced that their lists of canidates are open to representatives of other regional and local organizations. It is already known that activists of the German Minority Movement and the Upper Silesian Union (a regionalist group) will be present on autonomist lists.

Silesian autonomists attach the greatest importance to the regional elections. Local RAS leaders will open electoral lists:

Jerzy Bogacki (vicepresident of the movement) in a constituency of Chorz�w, Jerzy Gorzelik (RAS Press Officer) in Katowice, and Bart�omiej �widerek (RAS Foreign Dept. Chief Manager) in Gliwice; an activist of a German Minority Movement Hubert Beier is the committee’s leader in a district of woj. opolskie.

Silesian Autonomy Movement have not yet decided whether to put up candidates for mayors in major Upper Silesian towns and cities. In Katowice RAS will probably support Andrzej Sosnierz a candidate of the liberal Civic Platform, while at least in Ruda Slaska, Rybnik and Zabrze Silesian Autonomy Movement will have their own candidates.

RAS President, Mr. Krzysztof Kluczniok, a current deputy mayor of Czerwionka-Leszczyny will be a candidate for a mayor of this mining town.

RAS is also very active on a local level, where many coalitions with like-minded organizations have already been formed. In a district (powiat) of Tarnowskie Gory, together with the German Minority Movement and Upper Silesian Union, RAS formed a coalition called “Silesian Alliance (Przymierze Slaskie)”, while in Rybnik they make up a committee “Agreement over divisions - the Land of Rybnik (Porozumienie ponad podzia�ami - Ziemia Rybnicka)”. In other districts candidates of similar associatons will either be present of RAS lists or will form local coalitions.

Executive of
The Silesian Autonomy Movement


for more information:
Silesian Autonomy Movement
Foreign Department

[email protected]

http://www.raslaska.org