Twin brothers are trying to take control in Poland
Published 9:00 pm Saturday, September 24, 2005
GDANSK, Poland – When they were kids, the Kaczynski twins were tricksters. Even their friends could barely tell them apart, let alone teachers. Jaroslaw, the older by 45 minutes, would take science tests for his brother, Lech, who would return the favor on language exams.
Now, the Kaczynski brothers are teaming up again, this time in a bid to take over the Polish government. Lech is running for president Oct. 9. Jaroslaw is mounting a separate campaign to become prime minister in parliamentary elections that voters will decide today.
The brothers’ Law and Justice Party, of which Jaroslaw Kaczynski is chairman, is locked in a dead heat with its chief rival, the Civic Platform, for control of parliament, opinion surveys show.
Lech Kaczynski, the mayor of Warsaw, is trailing in the presidential contest by several percentage points, according to recent polls. But analysts said both contests remain highly volatile and there is a real chance the twins could gain joint control of the country.
The Kaczynskis’ chubby faces have been a familiar sight in Poland since 1962, when as 12-year-old child actors they hit it big in the movies, playing identical twins in the classic Polish film “Those Two Who Would Steal the Moon.”
They returned to prominence in the 1980s playing key roles in the Solidarity trade union movement, which helped end communism in Poland, and they have remained active in national politics ever since.
The 56-year-old brothers have had to confront skittishness among voters who worry it might not be a good idea for the temperamental, tough-talking twins to take charge of Poland. To dispel anxiety, Jaroslaw Kaczynski has pledged to hand over the prime minister’s job to someone else in the Law and Justice Party should both he and his sibling win.
Many Poles are skeptical that the brothers would willingly give up power, however. That notion is reinforced by Lech Kaczynski himself, who wouldn’t rule out the possibility in an interview.
