Polish prospective PM: conservative woman who rose up ranks

Defending the country’s interests may reopen a turbulent period with its European allies as was the case with Germany between 2005 and 2007 when the Kaczynski twins were in power together and demonstrated their support for the US.

An exit poll showed the PiS picked up 242 out of 460 seats in the lower house of parliament, ousting the governing Civic Platform (PO) liberals who had 133 seats.

Law and Justice members have campaigned on a platform of distrust for the European Union and as an advocate of a strong North Atlantic Treaty Organisation – reflecting fears about the intentions of its giant neighbor, Russia.

The party, which opposes Poland’s entry into the euro, also wants to increase public spending and get the central bank to pump 350 billion zlotys (82 billion euros or $91 billion) over the next six years into the economy, a policy that could roil markets and create concern over central bank independence.

The exit poll by Ipsos shows Law and Justice won 39.1% of yesterday’s parliamentary vote.

Two million Poles working overseas – including an estimated 700,000 in Britain – depend on the freedom of movement the European Union allows. It feeds to a few degree on frustrations over sovereign influence and the economic dominance of neighbouring Germany, but for the large part it is linked to the countrys conservative family values and worry over gender politics and perceived secularist trends that are seen as undermining the influence of the Roman Catholic church. Here are key facts about the 52-year-old politician.

People are voting to protect what they see as the things that are special about Poland and that are threatened by the outside, but with that may come a big step backwards.

German government spokesman Steffen Seibert has said that Berlin is ready to cooperate with the incoming Polish government, with general election exit polls signalling a victory for a conservative coalition led by the Law and Justice party. Where have all the Polish businesses gone?

Law and Justice has promised to accelerate the economic expansion to 5 per cent from about 3.5 per cent over the last five quarters to reduce unemployment, which fell below 10 per cent for the first time since 2008 two months ago. Mixing Catholic values with welfare policy, …

Civic Platform has recently been hit by disrepute, with a number of ministers caught up in an eavesdropping scandal previous year.

The Polish electorate is also faced with a left wing that has failed to rebuilt itself since the end of communism.

That might make for some political horse-trading over the next few weeks but will not weaken the decisive swing towards Law and Justice’s brand of social conservatism mixed with left-leaning economics.

Interpreter Slawomir Krantz, 49, voted for Civic Platform, which he described as a “lesser evil”, because he fears other parties might spoil the stability Poland has achieved. They are looking for a credible system change.

Only when the official list of those who have been able to cross the 5% threshold, will it become clear whether the Law and Justice party can form a government on its own or whether it will have to hunt for a coalition partner.

He claimed refugees were bringing “cholera to the Greek islands, dysentery to Vienna, various types of parasites” – comments that critics said recalled the Nazi era. Tomatoes, pomidory in Polish, represented PO, or Civic Platform.

Party leader Kaczyński, whose twin brother and former Polish president Lech Kaczyński died in the Polish Air Force jet crash in Smolensk in 2010, is still expected to hold sway over government. Since his brothers death, Kaczyski has hinted several times that he believes the plane crash was Russias work.

In June, Szydło was named Law and Justice’s prime ministerial candidate, expected to be the more moderate face of the party.