Poland’s Kaczynski leaves govt post to focus on elections

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s most powerful politician, conservative ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, says he has given up his role as a deputy prime minister in the government. He said he made the move to focus on the party and upcoming elections. The move by Kaczynski was expected. His government role focused on security issues and he said in an interview published Tuesday by the state news agency PAP that he had planned the move earlier but it was delayed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kaczynski is widely understood to be the most important politician in Poland, guiding government decisions and hand-picking those who serve in top positions. His departure from the government is not expected to change that.