Posted on 05/05/2006 10:41:50 AM PDT by lizol
Poland installs right-wing, populist majority coalition
May 5, 2006, 16:26 GMT
Warsaw - Polish President Lech Kaczynski swore in a new majority coalition government in Warsaw on Friday after a shakeup in which the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party succeeded in forming a cabinet with the support of two highly EU-sceptic populist parties.
The move raised concern among analysts over the direction Poland's economic reform drive may take with the anti-reform populist Samoobrona (Self Defence) farmers' party and the Catholic nationalist League of Polish Families (LPR) now officially in power.
The PiS, Samoobrona and LPR will command a majority of at least 238 seats in Poland's 460-seat parliament.
PiS Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said the stable coalition would serve to calm the mood in society and the Sejm (parliament).
Andrzej Lepper, the firebrand leader of the junior coalition partner, completed his image make-over to that of respectable elder statesman Friday when President Kaczynski nominated him deputy prime minister and minister of agriculture. The posts of labour and social policy minister and construction minister were also given to Samoobrona members.
LPR leader Roman Giertych was made deputy prime minister and education minister. The highly EU-sceptic LPR would take over several ministries, including education, in exchange for bringing its entire 27-seat bloc into the fold.
Giertych is known for having built up the LPR's far-right youth wing, the All Poland Youth, which has led vocal, often violent, protests against gay rights.
All Poland Youth leader 28-year-old Rafal Wiechowski was made minister of maritime economy and at once became the youngest minister in post-WWII Poland.
Initial reactions among opposition parties and independent analysts over the role in government for Samoobrona and LPR was extremely critical.
'This is a very sad day for Poland,' a senior analyst for Danske Bank Lars Christensen told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa in a telephone interview.
'The only positive is that there's a stable majority, but the anti-EU, anti-reform and anti-market policies of both Samoobrona and LPR will send a very bad signal to markets,' he said. 'Their populist rhetoric is also not good news for fiscal responsibility in Poland.'
'We will have to see, but hopefully they will act responsibly and not against reform or drawing foreign direct investment,' Christensen said.
Friday's majority coalition agreement came after nearly eight months of failed attempts to build a stable majority in parliament since the PiS's narrow victory in September 2005 elections.
PiS Prime Minsiter Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz is yet to fill the post left vacant by former foreign minister Stefan Meller who quit over the coalition with the populist parties.
Meller was one of two senior ministers who threatened to quit the cabinet in the event of a formal alliance with Samoobrona and LPR.
Liberal Finance Minister Zyta Gilowska has described Samoobrona's generous social spending plans as 'impossible' to implement, but has given no indication as to whether she intends to quit the cabinet in the wake of the coalition deal.
Analysts warn panic could jolt financial markets should Gilowska, seen as a guardian of fiscal discipline, quit, amid fears that the generous social spending advocated by PiS's new coalition partners could cause a ballooning deficit.
Literally "high level".
As to "Lepper inside the govt is PO's done" - as I said - that's all PO's fault.
Thank you for your coherent view which has led me to further understanding. I am second generation Polish but entirely American in every respect. I was confused and your post was helpful. Thank you.
Especially? I don’t understand your concerns. If he would replace Gilowska, then we would have some real reasons to worry about. Explain me what so wrong he may figure out as Minister of Education? I believe that you are not afraid of national minded Catholic indoctrination in our schools like today’s “Trybuna”?
And you're saying about PO's "overwhelming cynism"?
Both PiS and PO are cynics and should be blamed equally for this situation. Everything is caused by the personal conflict between top figures in both parties. It is not only my point of view but also my cousin who is lower ranked member of the PO claims so. It is not first time when our so called right side of the political arena is unable to work together.
What I meant was, that Giertych is as much skilled and experienced for the post of minister of education, like I would be for a post of - let's say - head veterinarian of the country.
As to the last part of you post - I fully agree.
Fundamentally, Capitalism isn't necessarily conservative, and social conservatives don't always understand economics.
I agree but it is normal in Poland, it is not so big deal as some you guys claim. We had recently such well known “specialists” like Wiatr or Lybacka, Giertych simply can be only better. He is a lawyer but I prefer him to be Minister of Education instead of Minister of Justice for example. There was no many post where PiS could find a place for him, as you know he doesn’t wanted to be a Minister of Sport :-)
Not many posts? Why?
There is a vacancy in the MFA, at last. (sarcasm)
You mean such secret plan that both parties agree to hate each other what may lead to the marginalization of all other parties and the end of the traditional “left – right” rivalry? WOW that would be something! ;-) Of course I don’t believe in such histories but if we should look for some brighter sides of current situation, it may really happen to some extend.
"Sam" is in fact a criminal organization and making Andrew a vice PM is breaking all civilized rules.
I agree but they are small fishes. SLD are real thieves on mass scale and primarily they should be destroyed. If Lepper and Giertych will not be good enough in the eyes of their voters, it will be the end of SO and LPR. Anyways I don’t se any future for LPR, PiS will eat them.
Btw, I read that today’s “Le Monde” wrote that EU should do “something” with our great coalition, those bastards already would like to interfere in our domestic policy. Nice…
This surprises you? Why Poles voted to join the new Soviet Union (the EU) I just cannot comprehend.
Everyone in my family over there voted "No."
LOL, sounds like Poland's version of the Clintons.
It would not be a great surprise to me but we should remember that for now it is just leftist newspaper not any official position. Beside I think that the EU is well aware that Poland is not Austria and such interference would lead to nowhere.
Why Poles voted to join the new Soviet Union (the EU) I just cannot comprehend
First of all, I believe that we can change the EU. More countries in, better. If you ask about the reasons, these are main:
- it is hard to fight with a myth
- economic advantages
- overwhelming pro-EU propaganda in our mass media
Those are probably future compulsory schoolbooks in Polish schools :-)))
Do you really think so? Poland stands to benefit from nearly $23.2 billion in EU funds, available through 2006. Anyway I do not think that "Austria" is repeated, but the future stance of those who give the money could be different. Furthermore it is obvious (I wrote that to you in another coherence) that western Europe will be disenchanted about the Polish motives in the EU. Your danger is not that the EU is going to work, your danger is that your friends inside the EU will turn away from you. For Polands development it will be essential to strenghten the links into western Europe. Half of your exports are going to Germany and it doesn't look that other markets are open to Polish products.
First of all, I believe that we can change the EU. More countries in, better.
I understand your aim: It could be the same outcome as it already happened to NATO. The more members the less functional. Contemporary NATO is a harmless debating club in the meantime. Maybe its next members will be Albania, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Georiga or Kazakhstan - uuuh I forgot Turkmenistan (sarcasm). Does anybody really think that the old esprit of NATO can be maintained with nations that have absolutely no cultural and ethnical coherence? In Germany we call such a thing simply "Papiertiger" (Paper Tiger).
The EU is worth absolutely nothing if the "big" and rich nations in western Europe will not cooperate anymore. It would be the same like NATO without the US. This new game of poisoning the EU works maybe one year or two years, but time by time most old EU-members will find out when they are fooled.
Therefore: With such a destructive stance in your country I guess it will be better if we old Europeans reduce ourselves to our own needs. As you probably know, there are already many thoughts into this direction. Anyway it is your own choice. Personally I am really sad that things seem to go wrong since I always struggeled for friendship between our nations. Anyway we are no idiots.
Congratulations to this mess! But there is hope. As far as I know, your national anthem goes: "Poland is still not lost..."
Yes, I really think so and actually I’m right because nothing happened. Do you really support EU’s interference? Maybe they are the one to decide which parties will form a coalition all around the Europe?
Maybe its next members will be Albania, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Georiga or Kazakhstan - uuuh I forgot Turkmenistan (sarcasm)
Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Bosnia would be enough. Where is your European idealism? I don’t say that they should join tomorrow to destroy everything completely. I already explained in other thread what is my point.
Not in all cases but in some - yes. There are many issues that are better solved in Brussels than in the member-nations for good reasons.
Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Bosnia would be enough.
All of those countries lack the basic premises (democracy, wealth, development and stability) to be a EU-member in the moment. Sorry - no way.
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