Following the collapse of the coalition between the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS), the populist Samoobrona (Self-Defence) and the Catholic-nationalist League of Polish Families (LPR), an early parliamentary election will be held in October. The opposition conservative-liberal Civic Platform (PO) currently leads the opinion polls, but is unlikely to win a parliamentary majority, so that political instability looks set to continue after the election. The new government is unlikely to carry out radical economic reforms, irrespective of who wins the election. The Economist Intelligence Unit estimates real GDP growth at 6.5% in 2007. Growth is forecast to ease to 5.1% in 2008 and 4.5% in 2009. Inflation is currently low, but is forecast to rise gradually as the labour market tightens. The current-account deficit will widen, from an estimated 3.3% of GDP in 2007 to 3.8% of GDP in 2009 |
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| Key Reports Available for Poland |
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| Land area | | 311,889 sq km, of which 61% agricultural, 30% forest | | Population | | 38.12m (December 2007 official estimate) | | Main towns | | Population in '000, December 2007 | | Warsaw (capital): 1,707 Gdansk: 456 | | Krakow: 757 Szczecin: 408 | | Lodz: 753 Bydgoszcz: 361 | | Wroclaw: 633 Lublin: 352 | | Poznan: 561 Katowice: 312 | | Climate | | Temperate. The central European location yields a climate in which warm summers and cold winters are the norm. The average temperature during the year is about 5-7°C. The hottest month is July with an average temperature in the range of 16-19°C. In the winter the coldest temperature is in January. June and July are usually the wettest months of the year | | Weather in Warsaw (altitude 106 metres) | | Hottest month, July, 15-24°C (average daily minimum and maximum); coldest month, January, minus 5-0°C; driest month, January, 23 mm average monthly rainfall; wettest month, July, 76 mm average monthly rainfall | | Language | | Polish | | Measures | | Metric system | | Currency | | Zloty (Zl). Average exchange rates in 2007: Zl 2.77:US$1; Zl 3.78:€1. Exchange rates on September 9th 2008: Zl 2.45:US$1; Zl 3.47:€1 | | Fiscal year | | Calendar year | | Time | | 1 hour ahead of GMT/BST | | Public holidays | | January 1st (New Year's Day); Easter Monday (March 24th in 2008); May 1st (Labour Day); May 3rd (Polish National Day, Proclamation of 1791 Constitution); Corpus Christi (May 22nd in 2008); August 15th (Assumption); November 1st (All Saints' Day); November 11th (Independence Day); December 25th-26th (Christmas) | | SOURCE: Country Profile |
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