Eurosceptic parties join Polish government
The eurosceptic leader of Polish left-wing party, Self-Defence, is to become deputy prime minister of Poland.
Andrzej Lepper last year signalled he would join up with the ruling conservative Law and Justice party only if it promised to renegotiate Poland's EU accession treaty.
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The former pig farmer is known for calling politicians bandits and for having been jailed for his direct action campaigns such as blocking roads.
Poland's ruling Law and Justice party announced on Thursday (27 April) that it had formed a coalition government with the Self-Defence party and with a breakaway coalition from another populist party, the right-wing League of Polish Families.
Prime minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz has since the election in the autumn struggled to build a majority government or to force an early election.
His party has 156 seats in the 460 member parliament but even with the new coalition his government is 13 seats short of a parliamentary majority.
Mr Lepper's economic policy involves paying stacks of money to the unemployed and attacking the head of the Polish central bank, Leszek Balcerowicz, reports the Financial Times.
"Our main goal is the economy and improving the situation of the people," said Mr Lepper on Thursday promising, he would do a good job of governing Poland, according to the newspaper.
