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kato · 10-21-2007, 11:37 AM

One interesting thing happening today:

Poland is electing a new parliament, after the coalition government broke up in summer, and parliament dissolved in September. First results will be out in about 3 hours (will update then).

The coalition of the currently ruling Kaczynski twins is set to lose in this election. Current prognosis sees the market-liberal (centrist) platform of Donald Tusk at 47% (enough to rule with their preferred coalition partner, th pro-European Farmer's Party); the Kaczyinski platform PiS, rightwing-conservative, has only received around 33% in recent surveys. Third-biggest player would be the center-left platform of ex-Prime-Minister Kwasniewsky.

Donald Tusk is riding on the course to cut down social services (expanded by the Kaczynskis), lowering taxes and somehow creating a booming economy in order to counter the mass emigration that Poland has been facing since joining the EU (between half a million and one million people have left Poland since 2004 to work in other EU states).

In particular with Tusk's potential pro-European coalition partner, this would mean that the relationship between Poland and the EU would become a positive one again (the Kaczynski twins and their nationalist rhetorics have really hurt Poland's image internationally in the past two years).

Update, preliminary results:
PO (Tusk) - 44.2%
PiS (Kaczinsky) - 31.3%
LiD (Kwasniewsky) - 12.2%
PSL (Farmer's Party) - 7.9% (likely coalition partner for PO)

Looks like a solid win for Tusk.

10-21-2007, 11:37 AM	#12 (permalink)
kato Patron Join Date: 09-05-06 Posts: 222 Country:	One interesting thing happening today: Poland is electing a new parliament, after the coalition government broke up in summer, and parliament dissolved in September. First results will be out in about 3 hours (will update then). The coalition of the currently ruling Kaczynski twins is set to lose in this election. Current prognosis sees the market-liberal (centrist) platform of Donald Tusk at 47% (enough to rule with their preferred coalition partner, th pro-European Farmer's Party); the Kaczyinski platform PiS, rightwing-conservative, has only received around 33% in recent surveys. Third-biggest player would be the center-left platform of ex-Prime-Minister Kwasniewsky. Donald Tusk is riding on the course to cut down social services (expanded by the Kaczynskis), lowering taxes and somehow creating a booming economy in order to counter the mass emigration that Poland has been facing since joining the EU (between half a million and one million people have left Poland since 2004 to work in other EU states). In particular with Tusk's potential pro-European coalition partner, this would mean that the relationship between Poland and the EU would become a positive one again (the Kaczynski twins and their nationalist rhetorics have really hurt Poland's image internationally in the past two years). Update, preliminary results: PO (Tusk) - 44.2% PiS (Kaczinsky) - 31.3% LiD (Kwasniewsky) - 12.2% PSL (Farmer's Party) - 7.9% (likely coalition partner for PO) Looks like a solid win for Tusk. Last edited by kato : 10-21-2007 at 17:38 PM.