Homophobic Polish Prime Minster Jaroslaw Kaczynski, one half of the “terrible twins” leading that country (his brother, Lech, is President), was defeated in early parliamentary elections over the weekend by Donald Tusk, co-chairman and founder of the Civic Platform, heralding what some hope is a more “mild-mannered” period in that country.
The brothers were well-known for their homophobic policies, even though Jaroslaw is suspected by many to be gay himself.
Last April, the brothers supported a plan to fire teachers who taught about homosexuality. Said Jaroslaw then: “Nobody is limiting gay rights in Poland. However, if we're talking about not having homosexual propaganda in Polish schools, I fully agree with those who feel this way. Such propaganda should not be in schools; it definitely doesn't serve youth well. It's not in the interest of any society to increase the number of homosexuals — that's obvious.”
The AP reports: “Tusk…sometimes seemed too easygoing to defeat Kaczynski, whose campaign was marked by slick, hard-hitting ads while Civic Platform struggled to define its message in its campaign advertising. Law and Justice defeated the favored Civic Platform in 2005 parliamentary elections, while Jaroslaw Kaczynski's twin brother, Lech Kaczynski, defeated Tusk in the presidential race. But Tusk, after that double defeat, finally found the toughness to attack Kaczynski in the closing days of this year's campaign, attacking his eccentricities such as not having a driver's license at age 58.”
