nal Assembly--last held 4 and 18 June 1989 (next to be
held June 1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(460 total) Communists 173, Solidarity 161, Polish Peasant
Party 76, Democratic Party 27, Christian National Union 23; note--rules
governing the election limited Solidarity's share of the vote to 35%
of the seats; future elections are to be freely contested

Communists: 70,000 members in the Communist successor party (1990)

Other political or pressure groups: powerful Roman Catholic Church;
Confederation for an Independent Poland (KPN), a nationalist group;
Solidarity (trade union); All Poland Trade Union Alliance (OPZZ),
populist program; Clubs of Catholic Intellectuals (KIKs); Freedom and
Peace (WiP), a pacifist group; Independent Student Union (NZS)

Member of: CCC, CEMA, Council of Europe, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBEC,
ICAO, ICES, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMO, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, Warsaw Pact, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jan KINAST; Chancery at 2640 16th
Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-3800 through 3802; there are
Polish Consulates General in Chicago and New York;
US--Ambassador-designate Thomas SIMONS, Jr.; Embassy at Aleje
Ujazdowskie 29/31, Warsaw (mailing address is
APO New York 09213); telephone p48o 283041 through 283049; there is a US
Consulate General in Krakow and a Consulate in Poznan

Flag: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red--a crowned
eagle is to be added; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which
are red (top) and white

- Economy
Overview: The economy, except for the agricultural sector, had
followed the Soviet model of state ownership and control of the country's
productive assets. About 75% of agricultural production had come from the
private sector and the rest from state farms. The economy has presented a
picture of moderate but slowing growth against a background of underlying
weaknesses in technology and worker motivation. GNP increased between 3%
and 6% annually during the period 1983-1986, but grew only 2.5% and 2.1%
in 1987 and 1988, respectively. Output dropped by 1.5% in 1989. The
inflation rate, after falling sharply from the 1982 peak of 100% to 22%
in 1986, rose to a galloping rate of 640% in 1989. Shortages of consumer
goods and some food items worsened in 1988-89. Agricultural products and
coal have remained the biggest hard currency earners, but manufactures
are increasing in importance