Polish ruling party leader Kaczynski leaves government

Poland's ruling party leader and deputy prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski resigned from his position in government, PAP news agency said on Tuesday. Kaczyński had earlier signaled that he wanted to resign from government functions in order to focus on the ruling party's preparations for next year's parliamentary elections.

Poland's ruling party leader and deputy prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski resigned from his position in government, the PAP news agency said on Tuesday. "I'm not in the government right now ... I have already submitted a motion to the prime minister and it has been approved. As far as I know, the president has also signed it," said Kaczynski, quoted by PAP.

Kaczynski, who was also the head of the government's national security and defense affairs committee, said that he would be replaced by the Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak. Kaczyński had earlier signaled that he wanted to resign from government functions in order to focus on the ruling party's preparations for next year's parliamentary elections.