Poland’s municipal election
Small change signals big shift
POLES are a capricious lot. Not once since the fall of communism two decades age have they voted a ruling party back into office for two consecutive terms. (They did re-elect Aleksander KwaÅ›niewski as president, but in Poland the head of state holds little real power.) It seems more and more likely that the ruling centre-right Civic Platform (PO) may at last buck this trend in the general election planned for next year—at least if last Sunday’s local poll is anything to go by. Continue reading
Poles decide on a president and a war
Poland’s ruling party celebrated the election of its candidate as president last week, but now the real challenge for the Civic Platform begins: leading Poland through perilous economic times and negotiating a seemly exit from the unpopular Afghan war. Continue reading
One More Reason for the New Polish Partition
Henry Olsen had a fascinating post yesterday on how the vote in the 2010 Polish presidential election divided almost precisely along the boundaries of the 1864 Polish partition. He notes that voters in the west and north (the former German/Prussian territories) went for the pro-free market Komorowski, while voters in the east and south (the former Russian and Austrian territories) went for Kaczynski, the more protectionist candidate. Continue reading
Poland’s new Catholic president gets mixed reviews from bishops
Polish bishops have given a mixed reception to their country’s new president, Bronislaw Komorowski, a 58-year-old Catholic father of five and former seminary history teacher.
“I see him as a man of ideas with many personal qualities, a person of dialogue who can also listen — I think this election serves Poland well,” said Archbishop Henryk Muszynski of Gniezno. Continue reading
Kaczynski’s 47% Support Means Polish Deficit Cuts May Be Slowed
Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s stronger-than- expected performance in losing the July 4 presidential election may revitalize the opposition, damping optimism for government plans to reduce the budget deficit, political scientists said. Continue reading
President Komorowski: victorious but soon to be obscure
WITH 95 percent of the votes counted, Bronisław Komorowski, candidate of the ruling Civic Platform, has won the presidential run-off, beating Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of the opposition Law and Justice Party with 52.63% of the vote to 47.3%, Continue reading
Kaczynski Leads Komorowski 49%-47% in Polish Opinion Poll, Rp.pl Reports
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s largest opposition party Law & Justice, pulled ahead of acting President Bronislaw Komorowski by 49 percent to 47 percent in a GfK Polonia survey published today on the website of daily Rzeczpospolita before a July 4 presidential runoff. Continue reading
Surveys predict close presidential run-off in Poland
Poland’s presidential race between business-friendly Bronislaw Komorowski and conservative Jaroslaw Kaczynski is too close to call ahead of the final round of voting this Sunday, surveys showed on Friday. Continue reading
Kaczynski Foes Miss Bigger Threat to Polish Budget
Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s foes say his election as Poland’s president would slow efforts to cut the budget deficit. The bigger impediment may be parliamentary elections next year that will keep lawmakers from acting regardless of who wins the presidency, economists say. Continue reading
Polish Government May Struggle to Cut Deficit Even With Own President
Financial markets have priced in the Polish presidential election victory of the ruling party’s in Sunday’s runoff, considering him a market-friendly candidate who will allow the government to introduce austerity measures. Such measures are desperately needed to cut the country’s high budget deficit. So it may be a little worrying that Mr. Komorowski’s recent comments show he seems keen on keeping some key spending items. Continue reading
