Polish Conservatives Pledge Benefits, Judicial Reforms, Adherence to Christian Values

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The leader of Poland’s nationalist ruling party has promised higher earnings, adherence to Catholic values and more judicial system changes as he started campaigning for next month’s parliamentary election.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski went to the city of Lublin in one of Poland’s poorer eastern regions on Saturday to launch the Law and Justice party’s campaign for the Oct. 13 election.

Kaczynski vowed to build a prosperous Poland while increasing minimal wages and payments to retirees. Social benefits helped make his party Poland’s most popular political force by far, so they are not a new campaign strategy.

He says if voters give the party another mandate, the next Law and Justice government would push for more changes in the judiciary even though steps taken so far drew criticism from European Union leaders.