PM wants Poles to feed ducks

2006-09-23 20:03

Warsaw - Poland's beleaguered prime minister, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, surprised Warsaw's press corps on Saturday when he called a news briefing in a Warsaw park to call on Poles to feed ducks with the approach of winter.

Widely expected to make an announcement on the future of his crumbling coalition government, instead the usually dour prime minister presented a yellow duck as the campaign mascot of his Law and Justice (PiS) party ahead of November's local elections.

"An example of the brutalisation of Polish public life is the billboard of the (post-communist) Democratic Left Alliance announcing duck-hunting season," Kaczynski told reporters while feeding ducks in the park's pond.

The term "kaczki" (ducks) is a play on the surname of the Kaczynski twins, who hold the posts of Poland's president and prime minister.

"But we love all animals including ducks and we have a different appeal: let's feed the ducks because a difficult period is beginning," said the prime minister.

PiS is seeking to put together a new parliamentary majority after breaking with its left-wing junior coalition partner, Self-Defence, over budget rows and plans to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Failure to do so could mean earlier parliamentary elections, possibly in late November.

- Reuters