Global General

Poland elects new parliamentary speaker

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-07-09 02:48

WARSAW -- Poland's ruling Civic Platform (PO) caucus head Grzegorz Schetyna was elected new Sejm (lower chamber of Parliament) speaker on Thursday afternoon.

The parliamentary caucuses of PO, Left and Polish People's Party(PSL) backed Schetyna, main opposition party Law and Justice was against.

There were 277 votes for, 121 against and 16 abstentions. The absolute majority was 208.

Schetyna thanked his supporters to the post and said he also hoped for good cooperation with MPs (member of Parliament) who voted against him.

Schetyna was quoted as saying that he wanted to be "a speaker of the entire Sejm" and called his new function "a challenge and great duty."

Bronislaw Komorowski, elected Poland's president on July 4, resigned both the post of Sejm speaker and his MP mandate on Thursday morning.