Poland turned its back on its former communist rulers and leaned towards a Solidarity-led, right-wing alternative, as first results in the weekend's election emerged yesterday.
But the electorate ensured that Solidarity's Roman Catholic conservatism will be tempered by the liberalism of the Union for Freedom (UW) Party, should both sides reach agreement in imminent talks on forming a coalition.
If preliminary results are confirmed by the final count of votes cast in Sunday's election, the UW will be the third-largest party, holding 13.4 per cent and the balance of power in a hung parliament.
The union-led Solidarity Election Action (AWS) Party took 33.8 per cent of the vote in early counting, seven points clear of the second-placed former communist Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), with 26.8 per cent.
But policy differences between the AWS and the UW means that much ground has yet to be covered if they are to reach a compromise.
The AWS leader, Mr Marian Krzaklewski, said early yesterday that talks with his probable coalition partners were likely to begin today; he politely declined an invitation, made live on radio by one of the leading figures of the UW, to start negotiating immediately.
Last week, in the midst of the campaign, Mr Krzaklewski was openly sceptical of linking his party with the UW, led by Mr Leszek Balcerowicz, who criticised the AWS's union-oriented social and economic policies.
But he has little room for manoeuvre. Other contenders for coalition, the Peasant Party (PSL) - the SDL's partner in the outgoing government - had its vote slashed to 6.9 per cent, and the Movement for the Reconstruction of Poland (ROP) took just 5.5 per cent.
Passing the 5 per cent threshold guarantees both will have seats in parliament, but not enough to give AWS a majority.
The former communists are unlikely to stand idly by. Their policies have much in common with the UW programme, and may be able to offer Mr Balcerowicz the prime minister's post.
But Mr Krzaklewski moved smartly yesterday to stave off any likelihood of a tug-of-war over the role of prime minister, saying he would not want it anyway.
Analysts said yesterday that Mr Krzaklweski wanted to remain at the helm of the Solidarity union movement, despite being the obvious candidate to head the government.
But Mr Balcerowicz is dogged by his hatchet-man image as the author of Poland's shock-therapy economic reforms, which led to high inflation and unemployment in the early 1990s. It is unlikely he can be sold to the electorate as the new prime minister.
The former president, Mr Lech Walesa, who favours an AWS-liberal coalition, said he will organise a meeting between Mr Krzaklewski and Mr Balcerowicz either tomorrow or on Thursday.
The official election results are not expected before then. It then falls to President Aleksander Kwasniewski to nominate a prime minister.
Turnout in Sunday's election was 59 per cent.