Kaczyński backs Szydło as candidate for PM

Law and Justice is staging a convention this weekend following on from the party's candidate Andrzej Duda winning the presidential election on 24 May in a campaign led by Szydło.

“Beata Szydło is both an extraordinary and ordinary Polish woman,” Kaczyński said in his address.

“If someone is to create Andrzej Duda's team then it's certainly her,” he added.

“That is why I allow myself to announce that I have approached Law and Justice authorities concerning the nomination of Beata Szydło as the candidate for prime minister,” he confirmed.

For several years, it had been understood that Kaczyński himself was aiming for the post. He had served as prime minister in a Law and Justice-led coalition government from 2006-2007, while his twin brother Lech (who died in the 2010 Smoleńsk air disaster) was president.

Sixty-five-year-old Jarosław Kaczyński was notable by his absence in Duda's electoral campaign. His party had often been associated with older voters and 43-year-old Duda confounded bookmakers in the recent presidential election.

When Duda's candidature was initially announced, President Bronisław Komorowski (63 this month) towered above all rivals in opinion polls. However, the younger man eventually won over the majority of voters.

Current senior coalition partner, Civic Platform, which has been flagging in opinion polls in recent weeks, is also holding a convention this weekend. The party has been rocked by the revival of a 2014 wire-tapping scandal which led to a wave of forced resignations this month. (nh)