POLAND: Coalition talks in Poland stalled yesterday after the pro-business Civic Platform (PO) junior partner walked out in a row about power-sharing, making it highly unlikely that the party will sign a new coalition agreement with the socially conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) this weekend, if at all.
The PO lost narrowly to the PiS in last month's general election and has expressed great unhappiness at the carve-up of ministerial posts, particularly the deal on the table since PO leader Donald Tusk lost Sunday's presidential election to Lech Kaczynski of the PiS.
"The PiS is interested in maximum power, not in agreement," said Mr Tusk.
Yesterday's row came after the PiS failed to back the PO candidate for parliamentary president, as agreed in the afternoon, and instead pushed through a Eurosceptic from their own ranks, Marek Jurek.
The PiS has already begun flirting with alternative coalition partners, including the right-wing populist Self Defence Party and the ultra-Catholic League of Polish Families. PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski also suggested going it alone in parliament.
"If, unfortunately, this happens, a minority government will be the only solution and such a cabinet would be formed by November 2nd," said Mr Kaczynski.
Prime minister designate Kazimierz Marcinikiewicz had already agreed to split the home affairs ministry with the PO to break the deadlock and said he would do his best to restart talks.
"Poland will start to change almost from day one when this government is formed," he said in a radio interview. "We cannot let them down. The [ Civic]Platform cannot let them down."
Meanwhile, Poland's new president Lech Kaczynski told Germany's Bild newspaper he was not the Eurosceptic many perceive him to be, but a "fervent supporter of EU enlargement".
"My party has always campaigned for EU accession," he said. "But through accession it's not just cultural variety that has grown but also the differences and differences in economies, the mentalities and the cultures. For that reason we need a new European treaty, otherwise chaos looms."
Neither was he anti-German, he said, saying his use of rhetoric perceived that way in Berlin during his election campaign was a defensive measure.
He wants to prevent compensation claims from Germans expelled after the second World War from what is today Poland and the Czech Republic, and to stop a planned centre about the expelled in Berlin.
"Naturally we know that many Germans died in this war, women and children too. But we can never be allowed to forget who started this terrible war. Who the butchers were and who the victims were. "For me that is six million Polish victims. That memory must be preserved for the younger generation of the 21st century." He described himself as a "partner and friend of Germany".