Polish opposition party pushes for snap election

WARSAW - Poland's opposition on Thursday increased the pressure on the conservative government to quit, but it remained unclear whether it had the strength to force snap polls in a parliamentary showdown set for next month.

Opinion polls showed support for the ruling party plunging and a majority of Poles in favour of elections, after an aide of Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski was caught on film asking an opposition MP what she wanted in return for switching sides.

It deepened a political crisis that began last week when the governing Law and Justice (PiS) ditched its leftist partners Self-Defence in a row over the 2007 budget.

Kaczynski, whose party came to power last year promising to crack down on corruption after a string of scandals under the previous leftist administration, now faces an uphill struggle to build a new governing majority.

"We all agree that PiS's mandate has been bankrupted, that this parliament has lost its authority and that we must have new elections," said Grzegorz Schetyna, a leader of the main opposition party, the centre-right Civic Platform.

The economy showed year-on-year growth of more than 5 per cent in the second quarter, boosted by strong exports and investment inflows. But investors worry that prolonged political instability will hurt its future performance and reforms.

The turmoil follows anti-government protests in fellow EU newcomer Hungary, provoked by a leaked tape in which Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany admitted he had lied to voters.

Parliament will vote on an opposition motion to dissolve the legislature and pave the way for elections at its next session between October 10 and 14, deputy speaker Wojciech Olejniczak said.

Civic Platform earlier said it had filed the motion but acknowledged Law and Justice could block it as it would require a two-thirds majority to be passed.

If the conservatives voted against the motion, the opposition party said it would consider a no-confidence vote, which would only require an absolute majority but would not automatically lead to new elections.

But President Lech Kaczynski, the prime minister's twin brother, said he saw no alternative to the present government and rejected accusations of corruption levelled against it.

"Probably next week I will step in to help settle the situation. There is no reason for any social unrest," he said.

A successful no-confidence vote would not in itself trigger polls. To force the president to call them would still require the assembly to fail three times to vote in a new government.

Private television aired footage on Tuesday of secretly filmed meetings between Kaczynski's top aide and a Self-Defence MP including discussions about a possible financial arrangement if she deserted her party to support the government.

The small Peasants' Party - possible kingmakers with 25 seats in the 460-member assembly - responded by suspending coalition talks with Law and Justice.

Law and Justice and the small nationalist League of Polish Families are at least 48 seats short of a majority.

A senior Law and Justice official appeared to rule out the possibility it may continue to govern as a minority government.

"If the attempts to form a majority coalition were to fail, Law and Justice would vote for quick dissolution of parliament and snap elections," senior party official Marek Kuchcinski told state news agency PAP.

- REUTERS