Polish PM ends coalition as early elections loom

By Natalia Reiter

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's conservative Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski sacked ministers from two junior parties in his government on Monday, ending the coalition ahead of expected early elections in the former communist EU member.

The coalition between the Kaczynski twins and volatile leftist and far-right allies had been torn by a month of bitter fighting and the prime minister has said parliamentary elections should be held by November, two years early.

The ministers who were dismissed are from the nationalist League of Polish Families and rural-based Self-Defence party.

"The change means the coalition has ended," Kaczynski said at the office of President Lech Kaczynski, his twin brother.

The Euroscpetic Kaczynskis have governed during a spell of fast economic growth but have failed to quell constant political infighting and squabbled repeatedly with other European Union leaders.

An early election is a big gamble for the twins, whose party trails in opinion polls behind the centrist and pro-business opposition Civic Platform, which favours quicker economic reform and progress towards adopting the euro currency.

The Kaczynskis' Law and Justice party gave its approval on Saturday for holding early parliamentary elections.

The ministers who were sacked on Monday included Roman Giertych, deputy prime minister and leader of the League of Families, as well as ministers for construction, labour and fisheries. Replacements were named immediately.