Sunday saw a number of rallies by various parties contesting the general election in Poland, scheduled for October 21.

Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński addressed a rally of his Law and Justice party in Poznan, western Poland.

He claimed that the country is better for the government’s rule since it won the previous election in September 2005, and vowed to continue to sweep away what he sees as the corrupt elite which emerged in Poland after the collapse of communism in 1989.

“Poland is better now than two years ago, and the furious campaign against (this government) will not change that….[The post communist elite] know they didn’t deserve their social position and many know what they really deserve,” said the prime minister.

The PM announced that Finance Minister Zyta Gilowska will be standing as a candidate in the Poznan constituency for Law and Justice.

Meanwhile, Wojciech Olejniczak, the leader at a rally in Warsaw of the post communist left alliance – Left and Democrats (LiD) – said that Poland deserved to return to a time of calm after two years of conflict.

“We want to return to normality, to harmony, which has been missing in Poland for the last two years. We want a calm reflection about our future, our development and good membership of Poland in the European Union. We want all Poles to have a better life. To make this happen Poland needs intelligent government, not stupid wars…”

Former president, Aleksander Kwasniewski also spoke at the LiD rally, who will be a significant presence in the campaign, although he is not standing for parliament.

The Polish Parliament voted Friday evening to dissolve itself two years before the end of its present term after months of instability caused by corruption scandals and the collapse of the ruling coalition government.