President dead: what political future for Poland?

Twins Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski in Polish childrens film ‘The Two Who Stole the Moon’ (1962)

An election for a new president will need to be held in sixty days, but it’s hard to see how Polish society can pull itself together so quickly since their top illuminaries were largely killed in a plane crash on 10 April. Extract from cafebabel.com’s Belgium-based American blogger ‘Gulf Stream Blues’

opinion

by Dave Keating @

14/04/10

Tags : death, blogs, Lech Kaczynski, Poland, accident, Russian Federation, President, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, opinion.

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It is hard to see who from the late president Lech Kaczynski’s PiS (law and justice) party could run. It may end up being his twin brother, the former prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The two were famous child actors (Poland’s version of the Olsen twins, if you will) who grew up to lead the PiS, a right-wing group that grew increasingly popular over the past decade. The two have also been prominent symbols of Poland’s resistance to communism.

11 April: the president’s body arrives in Warsaw | (Image: ©Filip Jurzyk)

It’s hard to predict what will happen now politically in Poland. The Kaczynski twins had actually been falling heavily out of favour with the Polish public, who voted out Jaroslaw in 2007 in favour of the centre-left Donald Tusk, who is pro-EU. With the party’s leadership decapitated, it could completely collapse altogether. But what seems more likely to me is that whoever runs as the PiS candidate in sixty days will get a large sympathy vote in Poland, especially if that candidate is Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The party could actually reverse its downward trajectory and rebound back into power. It’s anybody’s guess really.

Read the whole post from gulfstreamblues babelblog on cafebabel.com

by Dave Keating @

You can also read
Lech Kaczynski laid to rest next to kings
Young Poles react: Lech Kaczynski death, 'second Katyn tragedy'
News: Polish president Lech Kaczynski dies

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Andrzej - 2010-04-14 20:00:43

Very interesting, but the article does not take into account the current situation of the funeral Kaczynski and his wife at the Wawel Castle. Today, 20 pm will manifest Franciscan street, where the presbytery Castle Wawel. People do not want to Kaczynski and his wife were buried at the Wawel castle. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, church and Conservatives wants a funeral and the Wawel Castle. If this happens then people will be angry. President Kaczynski was not popular, but now it is. The tragedy is 'good' for PiS. Increased political support, but now the funeral falls. The mood is tense. Famous people in Poland speak against the funeral. Lech Kaczynski and Maria will be in the crypt of the Polish kings and Jozef Pilsudski. Support of P and S may drop. Continue Tusk and PO.

Editors - 2010-04-14 20:14:56

Thanks for your email Andrzej. This piece is just an extract from a blog by Gulf Stream Blues, you can read the rest of the post at the link under the piece. As for the funeral, we have already published a debate in German about whether president Kaczynski should be buried 'like a king' or not - if you have some knowledge of the language you can read it here: http://www.cafebabel.de/article/33208/kaczynski-koenig-begraebnis-spaltet-polen.html Otherwise the English version will be coming this week! cafebabel.com

Yaruna - 2010-04-14 21:47:20

The lsat photo is making me very sed! The Kaczynski twins had actually been falling heavily out of favour with the Polish public, who voted out Jaroslaw in 2007 in favour of the centre-left Donald Tusk, who is pro-EU. With the party’s leadership decapitated, it could completely collapse altogether. But I must say that it's really good post, my congratulations to you! Custom essay appreciate that!

@Andrzej - 2010-04-20 08:47:18

It is very sad indeed to see the dispute around the burial of the President. I find it an obscene act of savagery and disrespect toward the dead and their families. By the way,Babel should also mention that the demonstration against the burial was organized by the office of Polish Eurodeputy Roza Thun (thePlatforma Obywatelska party).

Aleksandra - 2010-05-11 17:38:57

Dear Andrzej Neither Róża Thun nor anybody from her office haven't had anything to do with the organization of the protest. It was a false information posted on Twitter (!) by Adam Bielan, one of the spin doctors from Kaczyński's party. For further information consult the Thun's website: http://www.rozathun.pl/aktualnosci.html In the post from the 14th April she declares what I'm writing above. Unfortunately I have an impression that we are currently experiencing a new turn in our information era, based on carelessly posted gossips from twitter, facebook, blogs, etc. One should not confuse it with information. Aleksandra

@ Aleksandra - 2010-05-11 22:30:27

Yes she did. This is not false accusation :) Everybody knows it. And Alexandra knows what a true information is, don't you? :D

Aleksandra - 2010-05-12 11:39:07

the "Everybody knows it" point appears usually in situations when everybody knows but nobody checked... :). If you had though, I'd be interested in details... had you? As for now I prefer to relate to official info, not to twitts or to common knowledge ;).

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President dead: what political future for Poland?

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