was created. It consisted of a group of close Piłsudski aides and was headed by Sławek. Its meetings took place at Sławek's Warsaw apartment. Before the 1928 Polish legislative election, Sławek came up with the idea of creating a new pro-government political body, the Nonpartisan Bloc for Cooperation with the Government (BBWR) of which he was the chairman. After the BBWR's victory in the election, Sławek was its main ideologist and one of the most influential persons in the country. One of the closest associates of Piłsudski, he was fanatically devoted to the Marshal, who called him the “Loyal Walery”. Sławek was one of the first ten persons awarded with the Cross of Independence with Swords. After the collapse of the government of Kazimierz Bartel, on March 29, 1930 Sławek became Prime Minister of Poland as one of the so-called Piłsudski's colonels. His cabinet was almost identical to the government of Bartel, with Stanisław Car as Minister Justice, Leon Janta Połczyński as Minister of Agriculture and Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski as Minister of Interior. The creation of the new cabinet resulted in deterioration of the relations between the government and the Sejm. The Centrolew coalition called for an extraordinary session of the Parliament, but President Ignacy Mościcki refused. On June 30, a massive anti-government rally took place in Kraków, the Congress for the Defense of Law and Freedom of People (Kongres Obrony Prawa i Wolnosci Ludu). The size of the Congress took the government by surprise, and on August 23, 1930, Sławek resigned, claiming that he was unable to be prime minister and chairman of the BBWR at the same time. Following the so-called Brest Election, Sławek returned to the previous post and once again became the Polish Prime Minister (December 4, 1930). Due to the fact that in late 1930 and early 1931, Józef Piłsudski spent three months in Madeira, Sławek was de facto the most important person in Poland. He faced several difficulties: the economic situation of the country was worsening, the opposition fiercely attacked the cabinet, and the Pacification of Ukrainians in Eastern Galicia (1930) had just ended. Sławek urged members of the BBWR not to engage in any talks with the opposition, and the government quickly accepted a number of new regulations. At the same time, the case of Minister of Treasury, Gabriel Czechowicz, was dropped without ruling due to pressure from the regime. On May 26,