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Twins who stole the Moon are poised to run away with Poland

By Matthew Day in Warsaw

(Filed: 27/09/2005)

Identical twin brothers who once starred together in a children's film could soon become the dominant political force in Poland after Sunday's general elections.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, older than Lech by 45 minutes and the president of the victorious Law and Justice Party, is in line to become the next prime minister. His brother, at present the mayor of Warsaw, is one of the front runners in the race for the presidency.

With presidential elections due on Oct 9 Poland is awash with speculation that it could soon be governed by two men who most people find difficult to tell apart, although Lech has a distinguishing mole on his left cheek.

If the 56-year-old twins, who rarely appear in public together, do claim Poland's two highest seats of office it would be a remarkable conclusion to an odyssey that began in 1962 when they first came to the public eye in the popular film The Two Who Stole the Moon.

They then went to the same school and both studied law at Warsaw University before rising to prominence in the Solidarity trade union during its confrontation with Poland's communist regime in 1980. Since the country's return to democracy in 1989 the twins have never strayed from the political limelight, but it was only in 2001, when they teamed up to form Law and Justice, that they became a serious force in politics.

Jaroslaw now leads the party, which with 90 per cent of the ballot counted is leading with 27 per cent of the votes cast. Its future ally in government, Civic Platform, won slightly more than 24 per cent.

"We must rebuild many things in Poland," Jaroslaw Kaczynski said yesterday. "We must restore trust in the state, something that has been highly compromised."

With their opinions differing as little as their appearance, the two men have won widespread support through their tough talk of tackling corruption, ridding the state of those linked to the communist past and maintaining the welfare state.

A majority of voters in the new EU member state accepted their agenda and were willing to cast off the country's communist legacy. They have also, for the most part, overcome problems caused by being identical twins, a factor that Jaroslaw - who Lech calls the leader of the two - has described as "not making politics any easier".

It often makes them the butt of jokes and heightens fears of nepotism. Their scope for nepotism appears limited, however. Jaroslaw lives at home with his mother, while Lech is married with a daughter.

Jaroslaw recently told a Polish magazine: "We avoid appearing together because of the strong feelings this arouses. A person who is a twin is sometimes suspected of being 'weird'.

"But we do have different temperaments. My brother has the temperament of a state activist and he is excellent in this role."

Despite their success the two have been quick to play down the prospect of their becoming prime minister and president. Lech says that having a twin in politics has the advantage that he always has someone he can rely on and it provides welcome publicity for the country.

"The fact that we are twins makes us more well known and that's in Poland's interests," said the younger twin in an interview for the BBC. Jaroslaw, perhaps mindful that the nation may baulk at the prospect of being run by the identical twins, has said he would not be prime minister if his brother became president. But this has failed to curb speculation that he could change his mind if his brother wins the election.

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The plot of the movie as per IMDB:

Twin brothers, Jacek and Placek, are the town's troublemakers. They're lazy, greedy and also cruel. They despise hard work, so they cook up a plan to make easy money that would make them rich for the rest of their lives: steal the moon and sell it. They set on a journey to find a place where the moon would be low enough for them to steal. Before they leave, they take the last loaf of bread from their poor hardworking mother. After numerous adventures the boys manage to catch the moon in a fishing net. But it is only the beginning of their troubles.

I'm sure they will have George Bush's blessing for their stand against the 'evils' of free choice.

That's scary!

Where the the world be without a good dose of lust and lechery?

Welcome to the group Itsy.

Itsy,

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