US embassy cable - 05WARSAW3608

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 003608 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/13/2020 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PL, Polish Elections 
SUBJECT: SURROGATE MUD-SLINGING BACKFIRES ON KACZYNSKI 
WHILE NEGOTIATIONS ON COALITION GOVERNMENT GO QUIETLY 
FORWARD. 
 
REF: WARSAW 3558 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Mary T. Curtin for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (C) The presidential campaign of Law and Justice (PiS) 
candidate Lech Kaczynski seems to have suffered a blow when a 
surrogate's false attack on Civic Platform (PO) rival Donald 
Tusk backfired.  PiS's self-described "bull terrier," Jacek 
Kurski charged publicly that Tusk's grandfather volunteered 
for the German Wehrmacht during World War II.  In reality, 
both of Tusk's grandfathers were in concentration camps. 
Sensing that the attack exceeded the public's sense of the 
limits of decency, Kaczynski distanced himself from Kurski 
and PiS subsequently expelled him from the party.  Initial 
poll results suggest Kaczynski lost ground in the attack, 
after having gained steadily on Tusk in the days before the 
October 9 first round.  Despite the dust-up, Prime 
Minister-designate Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz assured Ambassador 
that officials from both parties are quietly working behind 
the scenes, and will be ready to launch their coalition 
government in the days following the decisive presidential 
election.  End Summary. 
 
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Dirty Campaign Tactics 
Backfire, Hurting Kaczynski 
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2.  (U) Jacek Kurski, a recently elected Sejm deputy and 
widely credited as the mastermind of PiS's parliamentary 
victory, was expelled from his party yesterday after he 
floated a story to the press that the grandfather of PO's 
Donald Tusk volunteered for the German Wehrmacht in World War 
II.  The head of Tusk's campaign, Jacek Protasiewicz, accused 
Kurski of casting aspersions on Tusk and his family and 
presented documents from 1947 that proved that his 
grandfathers not only were not volunteers for the Wehrmacht, 
but were actually imprisoned in German concentration camps 
during the war.  Kurski on October 13 apologized for his 
error. 
 
3.  (C) Kurski is described in local press as an "expert in 
black PR," and the public reaction suggest many view his 
statements as a blow beneath the belt, and that the tactic 
has hurt Kaczynski.  The latest polls indicate Tusk is 
widening his lead over Kaczynski to fourteen points.  Kurski 
earlier criticized Tusk for welcoming "home" a German visitor 
who was born in Gdansk.  Such veiled comments reflect a kind 
of coded language suggesting that Poles living in the Gdansk 
region are somehow less patriotic, a tactic not acceptable to 
many Poles.  Already a stronghold for Tusk and the PO, 
Kurski's latest comments may backfire, hurting him generally 
and bringing out even more voters in Gdansk and the 
surrounding Pomorskie province.  Kaczynski distanced himself 
from Kurski a day after the attack, but has been criticized 
for saying too little, too late.  PiS insider Marek Jurek 
expressed dismay about Kaczynski's prospects in a 
conversation with us a few days after the episode. 
 
4.  (SBU) While censuring Kurski, however, in a political tit 
for tat, PiS spokesman Michal Kaminski slammed PO's health 
care program saying the "liberals (want a system wherein) 
when the ambulance arrives at the site of an accident, the 
doctor will ask the victim for his or her credit card 
number."  PiS presidential candidate Lech Kaczynski also 
announced he would refuse to meet with PO official and close 
Tusk lieutenant, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Walz who has been leading 
the public attack on Kaczynski, saying he slashed funding to 
Warsaw-area hospices and diverted the funds to produce glitzy 
brochures touting investment opportunities in Warsaw, that 
appeared days before the October 9 first round of the 
presidential elections.  As reported reftel, Gronkiewicz-Walz 
has an eye on Lech Kaczynski's current job as mayor of Warsaw. 
 
5.  (U) Marek Borowski, the losing candidate from the Social 
Democratic Party (SDPL) who placed fourth in last weekend's 
first electoral round, offered a back-handed endorsement to 
Tusk on October 13 when he said his voters should not back 
Lech Kaczynski.  Andrzej Lepper, who placed third in the 
first presidential round, announced he had written to both 
Tusk and Kaczynski to ask about their policies, and openly 
angled for the position of Sejm Marshall (equivalent to 
Speaker of the House).  His chances for succeeding in that 
effort are virtually nil. 
 
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Government Formation Negotiations 
Go Quietly Forward Despite 
Bitter Campaign 
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6.  (C) Despite the bitter campaign, teams from the two 
parties continue to work behind the scenes on building the 
new government.  PiS Deputy Marek Jurek, who is on the 
negotiating team, told DCM and PolCouns October 13 that 
meetings continue, and that the two parties are well on their 
way to putting together alternate slates of ministers.  He 
suggested that if Tusk wins, Jarek Kaczynski could end up as 
Speaker of the Sejm, whereas if Lech Kaczynski is President, 
PO member Bronislaw Komorowski might be Speaker.  Prime 
Minister-designate Kazimierz Marcikiewicz also reassured 
Ambassador in an October 14 that work on government formation 
was proceeding apace and that there was "goodwill" on both 
sides despite the heated campaign.  Neither would say 
anything about who was being considered for what position, 
and no concrete new rumors have emerged in the past week. 
Jurek said that the teams were working on not just 
ministerial, but also deputy ministerial positions, and said 
that the second and some of the third tier positions would be 
filled at the same time as ministers are announced.  Both 
were confident that a new government would be named by the 
end of October, and reminded us that it would begin working 
immediately. 
 
ASHE