president, conservative Lech Kaczynski, who promised to break with the Communist-era when active Christians and dissidents suffered persecution.
Kaczynski, a staunch Catholic, also pledged to end corruption and to speed up reforms as part of the efforts. For the 56-year-old Lech Kaczynski the presidency was arguably the biggest Christmas present in his political career.
He succeeds former communist Aleksander Kwasniewski, sealing a swing to the right after the conservatives, led by his identical twin Jaroslaw, won recent presidential and parliamentary elections.
In his inaugural speech Friday, December 23, the new president told both houses of parliament that he wanted to overcome the post-communist era by ending what he called "sleaze and botched reforms" as Poland has the European Union’s highest unemployment rate of 17 percent.
CONSERVATIVE VALUES
But he also listed three conservative values on which he hopes to build his nation, the largest new European Union member state.
"They may be summed up in the words: justice, solidarity and honesty," he said. "There can be no justice without solidarity. And there is no mechanism that would allow to translate into life the principle of solidarity without honesty, in particular the honesty of those who take decisions relating to other people."
He said Poland’s close ties with France and Germany was a good beginning for future cooperation of between the EU heavyweights. But he warned Berlin’s plans to commemorate its World War II deportees and to build a gas pipeline from Russia that bypasses Poland remains problematic.
However he made clear that Poland will also strengthen ties with its eastern neighbors Russia and Ukraine. Kaczynski also spoke of closer cooperation with Washington.
MIXED REACTIONS
Despite his pledges, people in Warsaw have mixed opinions on whether Kaczynski will be able to run the country. "I do have some doubts," an unidentified man told Polish radio. "I think he is a too conservative man. But perhaps he will be flexible and things will get better."
However "I am not really happy," said a young a women. "I think we will see what he is going do. Let’s give him a chance."
The former Warsaw mayor, who like his brother, was a member of the 1980s pro-democracy Solidarity movement, is little known on the world stage. He attracted attention only by banning gay pride parades in the Polish capital, and suggesting that homosexuals should be barred from teaching.
Kaczynski started his five-year term with elaborate ceremonies including a mass in Warsaw’s cathedral, where Polish kings were once crowned, and a ceremony at the Royal Castle. (This BosNewsLife story also aired on Voice Of America (VOA). The radio report can be heard on BosNewsLife Radio. Click first ‘Live Radio’ after that on ‘Listen to BosNewsLife Radio Stories and finally on headline ‘Poland Has New President’).
