POLAND: New Polish prime minister Donald Tusk takes office

Polish President Lech Kaczynski swears in a new centre-right led government that aims to repair relations with EU partners and speed up reforms to liberalise the ex-communist country's economy. Prime Minister Donald Tusk replaces the president's twin brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, whose nationalist and socially conservative Law and Justice party was defeated in a parliamentary election last month. The coalition between Tusk's Civic Platform party and the centrist Peasants' Party must win a vote of confidence in parliament. The vote, which will most likely take place on November 23, is seen as a formality because the two parties have the required majority in parliament. During the day's ceremonies the new Prime Minister expressed his confidence in the new government that he has formed. He said that it was a government of good and decent people which he said would follow through on its election promises. After his government had been officially sworn in at the Presidential Palace they swiftly moved into their new place of work at the government's offices. The Kaczynskis' Law and Justice party has ruled for two years of fast economic growth but scandals and infighting led to a snap election and the defeat of their conservative party. Lech Kaczynski, who has not hidden his dissatisfaction with the result of the election, once again praised his brother's outgoing government during the swearing-in ceremony. Peasants' Party leader Waldemar Pawlak will become deputy prime minister and economy minister in the new cabinet and Jacek Rostowski, an independent economist in favour of quick euro adoption, will be the new finance minister. Tusk pledges to accelerate economic reforms needed to bring Poland into the euro zone and improve relations with key international partners, which had been strained under the Kaczynskis' rule. Analysts say the Civic Platform may face an uphill struggle to achieve many of its goals because the president could veto some of its crucial laws.

ITN Source | November 16, 2007

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