Poland's Civic Platform moves to start coalition talks on Wednesday UPDATE

(Adds final election results in 6th paragraph)

WARSAW (Thomson Financial) - Poland's Civic Platform is likely to start talks tomorrow with the Peasants Party on the formation of a governing coalition, once final results confirm the scale of its victory in Sunday's election, the party's leader said today.

Financial markets are looking to the talks for signs of how much the Platform may have to compromise on its programme of fiscal cutbacks, tax cuts and further privatisation of state companies.

'First we have to see the final information from the electoral commission and then the party's leadership will meet,' Donald Tusk told a news conference.

'I hope that tomorrow we can have the first meeting with the Peasants' Party's leader Waldemar Pawlak.'

The pro-business Civic Platform won Sunday's general election, defeating the Kaczynski twins' ruling conservative party and opening the way to four years of further market reforms in the EU's largest former communist state.

Final results show the Platform and Peasants Party would together have 240 of the 460 seats in the lower house of parliament. The talks are a first step to the parties agreeing an outline for the new government's programme.

Poland's President Lech Kaczynski has 14 days from the announcement of the election results to nominate a new prime minister, expected to be Tusk, who then has another 14 days to win a vote in parliament on his cabinet.

'We shouldn't expect that the personnel proposals (for ministers) will come within a few dozen hours,' Tusk said, adding he would like several individuals from outside the party to take key jobs.

'There will be no revelations, but I would like that in some key places there are people not necessarily connected to the Platform.' [e-mail] *48 22 447 2430 pjg/lht/pjg/jlc COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.