By RIA Novosti
Warsaw : Poland looked heading for early parliamentary elections this fall after one of the ruling coalition party said Tuesday it was leaving the government.
The dismissal of Andrzej Lepper, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and agriculture minister, and the prospect of the withdrawal of the Self Defence party from the coalition has triggered a government crisis.
"The parliamentary elections are unlikely to be held until the fall," President Lech Kaczynski told the Polish radio.
Kaczynski had dismissed Lepper Monday following an investigation against him by the country's Anti-corruption Bureau. His two aides had been arrested.
Following the dismissal, Lepper's Self Defence party, which holds the second largest number of portfolios in the government, took made a decision to leave the coalition.
"Self Defence is leaving the coalition following a decision by the party's board," said Krzysztof Sikora, acting chairman of the party's faction in the parliament.
The crisis in the government surfaced after Self Defence party openly criticised the government on its US missile shield policy and insisted that the planned deployment of US defence units be put to a referendum.