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Economics expert set to become Polish prime minister
Yahoo News ^
| 27 September 2005
| unknown
Posted on 09/27/2005 1:41:07 PM PDT by twinself
Mathematician and economics expert Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz was poised to become Poland's next prime minister after being appointed to the post by his conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party.
"After discussions, I decided that Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz is the candidate most able to rapidly and efficiently form a government," said PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
"This decision has been accepted by the leaders of PiS," said Kaczynski, whom pundits had tipped as the party's most likely choice for prime minister, a post he said he would refuse to avoid jeopardising his twin brother Lech's chances of winning next month's presidential election.
"If my brother wins, I will be obliged to refuse the post of prime minister. It would be unacceptable to Poles for two brothers to hold the two main government posts in the country," Kaczynski has said.
Marcinkiewicz's appointment to the post of prime minister, the most powerful in Polish politics, must be approved by President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski described the 46-year-old mathematician as being "well placed to resolve Poland's economic problems" and as being held "in high esteem in business circles".
"Marcinkiewicz is not a second rate candidate. Nor is he a candidate for just a few weeks," said Kaczynski, quashing speculation that PiS would reshuffle the government if his brother Lech did not win the race for the presidency against Donald Tusk, leader of the liberal Civic Platform (PO).
Opinion polls currently show Tusk to be leading in the contest.
PiS and PO, which finished in first and second place respectively in Sunday's election, reaping 288 seats in parliament, or nearly a two-thirds majority, have pledged to form a coalition and work to root out corruption in Polish politics, reform the economy and streamline the state.
The two parties were under pressure to quickly form a government, so as not to leave Poland in political limbo until after the presidential election, the first round of which is set for October 9.
"We must begin immediately to build the coalition agenda, and only once that is done will we choose the best candidates from PiS and PO to carry out our programme," Marcinkiewicz told reporters after his nomination was announced.
"We face a huge task in reforming the state," he said, acknowledging that the two coalition partners did not always see eye to eye on economic issues.
PO has proposed an across-the-board 15 percent tax rate, while PiS has a socialist manifesto calling for state aid for the underprivileged and government intervention in the economy.
Marcinkiewicz is opposed to PO's proposed flat tax, but has admitted that Poland's taxation system must be reformed.
"I am convinced that the tax programme we presented -- rates of 32 percent and 18 percent, and unchanged VAT -- can be introduced together with benefits for families with children and employment-oriented moves," said Marcinkiewicz on private Radio Pin on Monday.
He has also announced the next government's intention of trimming the fat from public institutions and amending the 2006 budget, passed Tuesday by Poland's outgoing left-wing government.
Marcinkiewicz slammed the budget as "a budget of stagnation".
"We want a budget of development," he said.
"We are in the process of drafting amendments to the 2006 budget which we will present at the end of November or early December," he said.
"We plan far-reaching changes. In particular, we intend to liquidate certain government agencies and to change the way the budget allocates funding."
TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: marcinkiewicz; poland; polishelection
1
posted on
09/27/2005 1:41:14 PM PDT
by
twinself
To: lizol; Lukasz; Grzegorz 246; macel; REactor
2
posted on
09/27/2005 1:42:36 PM PDT
by
twinself
To: eyespysomething; toothfairy86; SkiPole18; curiosity; right; x5452; anonymoussierra; ...
Eastern European ping list
FRmail me to be added or removed from this Eastern European ping list ping list.
3
posted on
09/27/2005 1:44:40 PM PDT
by
Lukasz
To: twinself
So what is your opinion about him?
4
posted on
09/27/2005 1:47:28 PM PDT
by
Lukasz
To: Lukasz
Seems its the best man PiS has. I posted a couple of months ago his reasonable statement about tax reductions. Who could know he'd our PM...
"We would like for a businessperson to be able to deal with everything concerning company opening and registration at a single location - a one-stop shop - and we would like that process not to exceed three days."
Lets's see if he can live up to his promises. The full article under:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1399342/posts
5
posted on
09/27/2005 1:56:39 PM PDT
by
twinself
To: twinself
Lets hope that he wont be Kaczynski's tool but a man with his own opinion.
6
posted on
09/27/2005 2:00:39 PM PDT
by
Lukasz
To: Lukasz
Kaczynski with all his lefty leanings is not suicidal to meddle into economy as long as he has someone like Marcinkiewicz to take care of the digits.
7
posted on
09/27/2005 2:03:23 PM PDT
by
twinself
To: twinself
Poland's choice
Published: September 27 2005 03:00 | Last updated: September 27 2005 03:00
After the grey men of the left who have run Poland in recent years, Sunday's parliamentary election winners are a colourful crew. Heading the list are identical twins Jaroslaw and Lech Kaczynski, who lead the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party that came first in the vote. They will almost certainly form a coalition with the liberal Civic Platform (PO), headed by Jan Rokita, a former anti-communist who once dressed in drag to escape the police.
But colour alone will not bring Poland good government. PiS-PO must run the country more honestly than the corrupt ex-Communist SLD which has been swept out of office.
The first challenge is building an effective coalition. Although both parties come from the anti-communist Solidarity movement, there is an ideological gap between PO, with its pro-business stance, and the Christian democrats of PiS, who want state intervention, extra welfare spending and some controls on foreign investment. PiS leaders must recognise that while populism may win an election, it cannot decide economic policy. Poland needs cuts, not increases, in public spending.
There are also differences over foreign policy, with PiS taking a more nationalist view of Poland's relations, especially with Russia and Germany. On the European Union, PiS leaders are sceptics, delighting in the demise of the constitutional treaty. The PO is also glad to see it off the agenda. On balance, a PiS-PO coalition will probably stand close to the UK on political integration issues. But Warsaw must not forget Poland's peace and prosperity depends on a strong EU.
With presidential elections due next month, tensions are running high. Civic Platform's Donald Tusk has been leading in opinion polls, but his nearest rival, Lech Kaczynski, will be boosted by Sunday's results. Little will be clear until mid-October, especially as Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the PiS prime ministerial candidate, says he will stand down if his brother wins the presidency.
Despite the centre-right's success, Europe's liberal reformers should not see Sunday as a vote for reform. Poles voted not for liberalisation but to get rid of a corrupt administration. They want clean government - and, if PiS-PO fails to deliver, they will vote them out too. PiS and PO leaders must never forget that Poland's populists stand waiting in the wings. The leftist Self-Defence and the rightwing League of Polish Families together scored nearly 20 per cent. With unemployment standing at 17.8 per cent, the highest in the EU, the populists expected to do better. They have had more impact in far richer western European states, notably France. However, the new government must not be complacent.
Nor should it ignore the miserable 40 per cent turnout - the lowest in the EU since 1945. Even after the success of EU accession, Poland's leaders have much to do before their young democracy is really mature.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/813edef0-2ef2-11da-9aed-00000e2511c8.html
8
posted on
09/27/2005 2:45:26 PM PDT
by
AdmSmith
To: AdmSmith
Turnout result is truly a disaster. Greatly due to close Parliament and presidency election dates. Many people got confused who they will actually be voting for on Sunday as both campaing types overlapped. They stayed at home in result. Anyway - all went exactly according to the plan Kwasniewski and Belka orchestrated.
9
posted on
09/27/2005 3:05:38 PM PDT
by
twinself
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