Poland's antigay
president-elect resigns mayoral job ahead of
inauguration

President-elect Lech Kaczynski was to step down from his job as mayor of Warsaw on Thursday, a day before his inauguration as head of the Polish state. The socially conservative Kaczynski won a presidential runoff on October 23 on promises to fight corruption, remove former communists from positions of influence, and bring economic growth while protecting the welfare state. On Friday, he replaces President Aleksander Kwasniewski, a former communist who has served two five-year terms, the most allowed by law. Kaczynski, the mayor of Warsaw since November 2002, has also won support after striking a strong nationalist tone. He supported the opening of a museum dedicated to the 1944 Warsaw uprising against Nazi occupation and backed 60th anniversary celebrations of the uprising in 2004. He also banned gay rights parades in the capital, drawing criticism from international human rights groups. His identical twin brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, heads the governing Law and Justice Party. (AP)