PSL want three ministries in next coalition

“Our bottom-line proposal for coalition talks is the continuation of the three ministries that we have maintained until now,” said party leader and hitherto deputy prime minister and economy minister Waldemar Pawlak.

Those positions include the Ministry of Agriculture, which had been led by Marek Sawicki, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, which had been led by Jolanta Fedak, and Pawlak's own position as Deputy Prime Minister.

With 99.4 percent of the votes counted by lunchtime on Monday, PSL had secured 8.36 percent. This put the party in fourth place.

However, a coalition with Law and Justice (PiS), which came second (29.88 percent) has been ruled out, as has one with the liberal Palikot Movement (10.01 percent), the surprise success in the elections.

Although categorically dismissing the latter, Prime Minister Tusk has yet to make a statement on the prospect of further cooperation with PSL. However, if he did engage with the party he would not need to seek help from any other party, owing to the extent of his Civic Platform's lead, at 39.19 percent.

Prominent Civic Platform member Grzegorz Schetyna, who has served as Marshal of the Sejm (Speaker of the lower house of parliament) since July 2010, is among those to have voiced their thoughts on the matter.

“We should continue the coalition of the Civic Platform and the Polish Peasants' Party,” he told news station TVN24. (nh/pg)