POLAND: PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski has final say in last rally of election campaign before campaigning blackout is imposed ahead of national vote

Poland's Prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, had the last word at the final election rally of the campaign ahead of a campaigning blackout which was imposed at midnight October 19. The venue for the election's final campaign conference was at a Warsaw night club where Jaroslaw Kaczynski was appealing to the youth vote. Poles indicate that Jaroslaw Kaczynski's Law and Justice party are set to lose Sunday's parliamentary election to a centre-right opposition party promising an "economic miracle" and withdrawal from Iraq. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski apologised for unspecified "mistakes" during two years in office but urged voters to back his fight against corruption, which flourished after communism ended in 1989. In a last ditch effort to discredit his challenger Prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski attacked comments made by Donald Tusk in the early nineties. The present leader of the centre right opposition, Civic Platform was accused of belittling food shortages and hunger problems for the sake of progress. In an apparent warning of things to expect form a Civic Platform government the Prime minister said, "…if Mr. Donald Tusk call's himself a defender of a people, then he needs to be asked when did he apologize to Poles for what he was saying in the nineties?, When did he apologize to the Poles for those times when he was saying that hunger in Poland wasn't widespread?" Kaczynski went on, "Mr. Donald Tusk said that democracy is not that important, he said transformation is the important thing, democracy could be restricted because for real there is only a need for transformation. And what did transformation mean at that time? Donald Tusk was not a kid, he knew it perfectly, it meant former communist officials getting rich on national properties". Polls showed the conservative ruling Law and Justice party between 4 and 17 percent behind the centre-right Civic Platform, which had the support of up to 43 percent of Poles. Financial markets favour the Platform. The fiercely nationalist Kaczynski twins, one of which is President, have held control over the government of Central Europe's largest economy for two turbulent years. Jaroslaw's twin brother Lech, does not face an election until 2010. Tusk said one of his top 10 priorities would be withdrawing Poland's 900 troops from Iraq, a move that would be popular after a series of insurgent attacks. He has also vowed to patch up strained relations with EU partners. Earlier, the prime minister hailed concessions in a new EU treaty as proof of success for a tough negotiating stance. Lech Kaczynski succeeded in getting a protocol that Poland wanted on voting rights. Financial markets, betting the Civic Platform will lead a new government and enact reforms such as privatisation, took heart from the opinion polls. The zloty hit a 5-1/2 year high. Poles are generally pro-European but the Kaczynskis' strong stance on Europe plays well to their core electorate -- strongly Catholic older Poles who better remember the horrors of Nazi occupation and communist oppression. Amongst Prime Minister Kaczynski's final words before the nation goes to the poles were, "You are not letting yourselves get tricked; because that is what our opponents represent, a party that tricks naive people. You are not naive" The parliamentary election was called after the collapse of the prime minister's last coalition in a row over a corruption investigation.

ITN Source | October 20, 2007

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