The prime minister, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party removed all ministers belonging to Self-Defence and the Catholic-nationalist League of Polish Families (LPR), replacing them with PiS loyalists and non-party experts.

ECONOMIST: Poland's government has collapsed

However, MPs from both Self-Defence and the LPR will be reluctant to face the voters, as the two parties' opinion poll ratings have collapsed since the 2005 parliamentary election.

ECONOMIST: Poland's government has collapsed

What is odd is that the new boss, Piotr Farfal, comes from the League of Polish Families (LPR), a radical right-wing outfit, normally seen as an arch-enemy by Warsaw's liberals.

ECONOMIST: Poland's public television

"This is a great win for both me and the LPR team and I'll remember it for a long time, " said the 31-year-old Contrini.

BBC: SPORT | Other Sport... | Cycling | Solo break nets win for Contrini