Walesa threatens to call new election

WARSAW (AFP) - President Lech Walesa said yesterday that he was considering calling early parliamentary elections after the failure of the Prime Minister, Waldemar Pawlak, in his efforts to form a new government.

Earlier, Mr Pawlak had threatened to resign after three centre- left parties withdrew their support and upset his plans to present a government team for parliamentary approval.

President Walesa said that although he had previously opposed dissolving the parliament elected in October, he was now 'examining' doing this to end the government crisis. Pending elections, he might appoint a temporary prime minister and government, he added, speaking shortly after the Prime Minister's threat to resign.

The Democratic Union, the Liberal Congress and the Polish Economic Programme told the press before parliament assembled that they wanted no part in the cabinet that Mr Pawlak had spent four weeks laboriously putting together. Their spokesman, Jacek Kuron, explained: 'We are not going to support this government, since we want to build the executive around a programme and not around a group of people proposed by Pawlak.'

The coalition's decision left Mr Pawlak with just the backing of his Peasants Party and the ex- Communists, representing about 100 of the lower house's 460 seats. The Peasants Party was allied with the Communists when they were in power. Mr Pawlak postponed naming his cabinet, but set out the government's proposed programme, saying he hoped it would persuade the three dissident groups to change their mind. Otherwise he would resign.

Mr Pawlak said his government would aim for full integration with European institutions in foreign policy. It would also aim to combine the fight against recession with that against inflation. There would be more protection for state industries but without putting a brake on privatisation, he said.