Brickbats fly in Poland ahead of power struggle

POLAND:Poland's politicians are trading barbs ahead of a likely battle for power this autumn, despite parliament postponing for a fortnight a decision on whether to hold early elections.

Parliament reconvenes today, but officials said it would probably vote on the election issue in early September, following the collapse of the ruling coalition led by the Kaczynski twins's Law and Justice party (PiS).

Its alliance with the populist Self Defence and League of Polish Families (LPR) parties - which was in almost constant crisis since its formation in late 2005 - finally crumbled when Self Defence leader Andrzej Lepper was accused of corrupt business deals.

No evidence against Mr Lepper has been made public, and pressure is building for an investigation into the case and whether the Kaczynskis are using a new anti-corruption agency and the secret police as weapons against their personal political foes.

"Today the prosecutors and the special services are a tool used to gain power," said Janusz Kaczmarek, a long-time ally of President Lech Kaczynski and his twin Jaroslaw, the prime minister, who sacked him for allegedly leaking information to Mr Lepper.

"If these tools are in their hands, elections may be not completely fabricated but will definitely be manipulated." The warning was repeated by LPR leader Roman Giertych.

"The brothers may be supporters of free elections but they will use all methods to influence their outcome," he said. "They are using state institutions to do that." Self Defence and LPR are supported in their demand for an inquiry into anti-corruption investigations by Civic Platform, a liberal party that is favourite to win an early election.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski this week accused Civic Platform of being in thrall to Germany, a country with which the PiS-led government has often clashed and of which many older Poles are still suspicious after its wartime occupation of their land.

"The Platform is overly dependent on the Germans," Mr Kaczynski said, warning that election victory for the party would mean a "reversal of our tough policies, particularly that of building a partnership-like relationship with Berlin". The prime minister also criticised the Civic Platform's membership of the European People's Party, which includes the Christian Democratic Union of German chancellor Angela Merkel, saying it entailed "an acceptance of German domination". Civic Platform leaders rejected Mr Kaczynski's claims, and pledged to improve Warsaw's rocky relationship with Berlin if granted power.

The same pledge was made by Alexander Kwasniewski, a popular former president who is returning to politics to lead a new centre-left alliance.

"I judge the current Polish foreign policy as very bad," Mr Kwasniewski said, vowing to "to re-establish Poland's best possible contacts with our biggest neighbours, Germany and Russia". "We must show that Poland is a creative force in the EU and not a country which is afraid of the EU or just takes its money," he added. "Many people are suffocating in Poland's permanent political turmoil. For them, a centre-left alternative is important."