World news: Poland's era of uncertainty

Four years of strong Polish governments led by ex-communists drew towards a close yesterday as voters prepared, for better or worse, to leap into uncertainty. Polls suggest tomorrow's parliamentary vote could produce another coalition steered by former communists, a centre-right alliance around the Solidarity bloc, or stalemate. The election results may be just the start of weeks of haggling before a cabinet forms. Even then, the government may be shakier than the current coalition of former communists and Peasants, which won a nearly two-thirds majority in 1993.

President Aleksander Kwasniewski says a deadlock would be the worst outcome as Poland enters talks on joining Nato and the European Union. Reuters