Poland

Political Farce

Classified Polnews

Posted 15 February, 2006 The Ruling Law And Justice party in Poland continues to hammer at anything that looks like potential opposition. On Monday it staged a threat to hold early parliamentary elections if two minority parties, LPR and Samoobrona, did not further bend to their demands and sign an addendum to an already power emasculating stabilization pact.

The events of the day were nothing short of amazing. Suddenly on a news quiet Monday it was announced that the President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski would make an announcement on his decision about holding early elections. A meeting was called for among the Stabilization Pact (STAPACT) powers, PIS, LPR and Samoobrona. Jaroslaw Kacynski, the power behind the scenes, brought to the meeting a document to be "agreed to” by LPR and Samoobrona. The order was simple. Amend the STAPACT or face early elections.

The President Brother Kaczynski then went on television and announced that there would be no early elections because with the STAPACT in place the government (which many feel is steered more by his brother than the Prime Minister) could continue on its mission.

Opposition members and critics see this as political theatre. Some assume that the threat of early elections will be used continually to keep the minority parties under control with the next threat to come within 14 days after 19 February. Beyond that it is anyone’s guess, but any guess has a high chance of being good.

Others see this as political farce. These staged events have been so blatantly transparent that even the Polish populace is starting to react to the games. For example a political poll run by the Polish Newspaper Gazetta Wyborcza after the President’s announcement showed that 31 percent of the respondents saying that they had lost confidence in the President.