Elections loom in Poland amid dirty tricks claims

Snap elections were looming in Poland today after a smaller party broke off coalition talks amid claims of a dirty tricks campaign by the ruling conservatives.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the Prime Minister, who swept to power promising to rid his country of sleaze, faced calls for his resignation after one his aides was caught on television apparently offering a government job to an opposition politician to try to persuade her to defect.

The allegations have scuppered attempts by Mr Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party to build a new majority coalition, after ditching their leftist partners, Self-Defence, last week in a row over the budget and a decision to send troops to Afghanistan.

Law and Justice officials today dismissed accusations of any wrongdoing, and said that Mr Kaczynski would not resign.

The turmoil began when the TVN television channel showed what it said were two meetings between Adam Lipinski, the Law and Justice deputy leader, and Renata Beger, a Self-Defence MP who has said she was considering backing the government.

He appeared to hold out the prospect of a government post for Ms Beger, and also suggested possible financial help for internal party fines Self-Defence defectors may have to pay.

In one part, Mr Lipinski asked her what she and other Self-Defence deputies expected for backing the government. "Secretary of state in the agriculture ministry, yes?" he asked."You know, this is not a problem at all ..."

In the second meeting, they discussed the penalty which Self-Defence says its deputies must pay if they quit the party.

Ms Beger asked about the possibility of help in such a case. "Yes, we were thinking of creating some fund," Mr Lipinski said.

Ms Beger later revealed she had agreed with TVN to film the meetings with Mr Lipinski secretly.

Asked to explain his comments, Mr Lipinski told TVN: "All I wanted is to prevent these deputies being threatened".

Poland’s main opposition party, the pro-business Civic Platform, called for an immediate special parliamentary session to vote on whether to dissolve parliament and hold early elections. Parliament’s next session is scheduled for October 10.

Bronislaw Komorowski, a leading Civic Platform member, told a news conference: "This is the best political road to solve the growing problem connected with allegations of corruption carried out by the most important political representatives in the country. We would like to avoid a public reaction like in Budapest. We would prefer to look for a political solution."

Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Platform, accused the government of corruption and said it should resign.

Waldemar Pawlak, leader of the Peasants’ Party said: "We are waiting for Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski to explain this. The situation is very serious."

Law and Justice needs the support of the Peasants’ Party and some Self-Defence and independent MPs to secure a new majority, after Mr Kaczynski dumped Andrzej Lepper, the leader of Self-Defence, from his government on Friday, causing him to lose his fragile majority in parliament.

His party failed to win a majority in general elections last September, and formed a shaky alliance with Self-Defence and the small, right-wing League of Polish Families in May.

The continuing instability has led to calls for changes to electoral law, to create a more robust political system.

Mr Kaczynski was appointed to the post of Prime Minister by his identical younger twin, President Lech Kaczynski, after winning a confidence vote in parliament. The result means that Poland is the only country in the world to have twins holding the top two political jobs. The brothers first found fame as child actors, with angelic faces in a film version of the popular children's book The Two That Stole The Moon.

To avoid confusion, the twins rarely appear in public together but they are distinguishable because Lech has two moles on his cheek and nose.

Markets reacted nervous to the news. The zloty traded about 0.6 percent lower against the euro, with analysts saying the likelihood of new elections in central Europe’s largest emerging market had increased.

Danske Bank analyst Lars Christensen said: "It will now be impossible for the PM to get together a working majority."

The fresh political turmoil follows anti-government protests in fellow EU newcomer Hungary, after Ferenc Gyurcsany, the Hungarian Prime Minister, was also caught on tape - in this case admitting that he lied to the electorate.

Hungarian radio broadcast of a leaked recording in which Mr Gyurcsany can be heard admitting that the government had failed to implement reforms and lied about the state of the economy to increase its chances of electoral victory. The recording triggered protests, including two nights of rioting, and calls for the Prime Minister to step down.

In a report on new EU members today, the World Bank warned that political uncertainty and fragmentation had allowed populists to gain influence in the region, hampering reform.

Source:By Jenny Percival and agencies, www.timesonline.co.uk