Polish conservative leader wants snap polls

WARSAW, Mar 18 (Reuters) Polish ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said today that his party would soon submit a motion to ask parliament to dissolve itself so that early elections could be held by late May.

''I call on (main opposition party leader) Donald Tusk to support a motion by the Law and Justice for parliament to dissolve itself,'' Kaczynski told his party convention.

''We will submit this motion shortly so that elections could take place before the Pope's visit to Poland (in late May).'' The Law and Justice party has run a minority government since narrowly beating Tusk's pro-business Civic Platform in September's general elections.

It failed to agree on a broad coalition with the Platform and last month signed a parliamentary alliance with two fringe parties that are hostile to the European Union and foreign investors.

Since the pact was signed Kaczynski has repeatedly threatened new elections to discipline his unruly partners -- the far-left Self-Defence and the nationalist League of Polish Families.

According to recent opinion polls, the conservatives run neck-and-neck with the Platform, a centre-right pro-business party with which they share roots in the Solidarity unions.

To dissolve parliament, two thirds of votes are needed. The Law and Justice would need support from the Platform as well as other groups to push through its motion.

REUTERS CH RN2040