New Polish parliament opens as balance of power shifts

WARSAW, Nov 13 (AFP): Poland's new parliament opened Monday for its first session after elections, as both the ruling populists and the liberal opposition bid to form the next government.
The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party won the largest number of seats in October's vote, though short of a majority. Even so, President Andrzej Duda has given it first crack at forming a new government, which the analysts say it has no chance of doing.
In his opening speech before the parliament, Duda declared "readiness" to cooperate with the new lawmakers but praised the PiS allies for "eight good years" they had spent in power.
Three pro-EU parties led by former prime minister and European Council president Donald Tusk won enough to form a majority and are gearing up to form a government, though they first will have to wait for PiS's efforts to fail.
"This is an unprecedented situation in more than 30 years of the history of democratic Poland," said Stanislaw Mocek, a sociologist and president of the Collegium Civitas university in Warsaw.
"The first votes on Monday will show the real balance of power in the new legislature," he said.
PiS holds 194 out of 460 seats in the lower chamber, compared to 248 seats for the pro-EU opposition.
At the inaugural parliamentary session at 12:00 pm (1100 GMT), Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will dissolve the government, which will stay on in an interim capacity.
The newly-elected MPs will also select the leadership of the lower house -- a first test of strength for the current opposition.
PiS has said it will "do everything" to be able to form a new government within the constitutionally allocated 14 days and then for that government to pass a vote of confidence within 14 days after that.