Poland's Elections

Some good news mixed with humorous news from Poland.

The AP reported Sunday that Poland threw out the ex-communist Democratic Left Alliance in their elections, based on exit polls. Prime Minister Marek Belka had campaigned on a platform that included withdrawing the Polish troops from Iraq by the end of the year.

Projections based on exit polls by state television showed the socially conservative Law and Justice Party with 27.8 percent and the free-market Civic Platform with 24.1 percent. The governing Democratic Left Alliance, which has been plagued by Europe's highest unemployment rate and scandals, lagged behind with 11.2 percent.

Both of the leading parties have their roots in the Solidarity movement of the 1980s.

Since Warsaw sent ground troops to the U.S.-led war in Iraq in 2003, frustration has grown over unfulfilled expectations. Even though Washington never made concrete promises, Poles hoped their sacrifices would gain them visa-free travel to the United States, lucrative contracts in reconstructing Iraq and more U.S. investment for Poland's economy and science.

It seems wrong that we provide foreign aid to countries whose support of us is dubious at best, and yet we are willing to disappoint the hopes of Poland, whose support has been solid.

On a lighter note, the elections in Poland have raised an issue I haven't seen come up anywhere else. Here are the pertinent excerpts from the AP story:

After the release of the exit polls, Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said he had a mandate to become prime minister, citing a deal with Civic Platform.

"The agreement was that whoever wins the election has the prime minister post, and then this applies to me as the head of the winning party," Kaczynski said.

Poland also will hold presidential elections Oct. 9, with a likely runoff vote two weeks later.

Warsaw Mayor Lech Kaczynski, the identical twin brother of the Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, is one of two leading candidates in that race. The other is [Civic Platform leader Donald] Tusk.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski has said that, if his brother wins, he would renounce the premiership in order to spare Poland the confusion of two leaders who look alike.

We've seen leaders step down (or not) over scandals or corruption, but never because their identical twin was also in power. You've gotta love politics...