(24 Oct 2005) SHOTLIST
1. Various of president-elect Lech Kaczynski walking into press conference
2. Cutaway
3. Various of Kaczynski
4. Wide of press conference, zoom in to Kaczynski
5. Kaczynski walking into press conference
6. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Lech Kaczynski, President elect:
"The relations with Germany are relations with a country considered as our double ally (within NATO and EU). Some of the last recent German activities (he is referring to the joint Russian/German plan of building the pipeline under the Baltic Sea) disregard this fact. I think we shouldn't just accept each of these issues but express strongly our disagreement. It is pretty clear now."
7. Kaczynski walking away
STORYLINE
Poland's leading Law and Justice party launched formal coalition talks on Monday, with a strengthened hand a day after its candidate, Lech Kaczynski, won the presidency.
Kaczynski won with 54 percent of Sunday's vote, compared to 46 percent for opponent Donald Tusk, of the pro-market Civic Platform party, the State Election Commission said on Monday after 100 percent of the votes were counted.
The 56-year-old Kaczynski was quoted in Monday's issue of the Rzeczpospolita daily as saying he planned to quit as Warsaw mayor after the
city's 2006 budget was drafted, but he gave no date.
He is to be inaugurated as president on December 23.
Kaczynski sought to dispel fears that his victory, which puts both government and the presidency in the hands of the Law and Justice party, may
disturb the coalition.
Kaczynski's has also promised to stand up to Germany - though the two countries enjoy good relations.
His campaign pledge appeared to have been aimed at older voters who remember World War II.
He also promised to maintain pensions and social benefits, another pledge that apparently helped him win the votes of Poles over 60 years old.
His victory opened the way for full-fledged talks between Law and Justice - headed by Kaczynski's identical twin, Jaroslaw - and Civic Platform.
The two parties won a combined conservative majority in parliamentary elections on September 25.
The rivalry between the two parties presidential candidates had slowed down coalition talks in past weeks, but leaders on Monday stressed that clarity achieved with the presidential race over would allow them now to press ahead quickly.
While Civic Platform echoed the optimism, it also gave signals that it expected to see some of its free-market policies reflected in the government's program, despite its defeat.
The two parties differ on economics, with Law and Justice favouring social welfare spending that could make it hard to balance the budget.
Civic Platform wants to cut spending and the budget deficits to speed up Poland's adoption of the euro.
Law and Justice also wants to adopt the currency, but only after a referendum in 2010.
The talks could be difficult, as Law and Justice was expected to toughen its position after consolidating power with control of the presidency.
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