President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland has proposed Prof Marek Belka, an economics academic and former finance minister, as the country's new prime minister.
Mr Belka is currently Poland's economic adviser to the US-led administration in Iraq. President Kwasniewski will continue discussions with all political parties in the coming days, but it is expected Mr Belka will present a new cabinet to parliament following the resignation of Mr Leszek Miller on May 2nd, a day after Poland joins the EU.
If elected, Mr Belka is likely to continue the introduction of €11 billion austerity measures in the so-called Hausner Plan.
It was the current government's unwillingness to agree to belt-tightening measures two years ago that made Mr Belka resign as finance minister.
But his apparent zeal for economic reform could diminish any hopes of reviving the coalition alliance with the Peasants' Party (PSL). Mr Miller threw the PSL out of government a year ago for resisting the Hausner Plan.
PSL leaders have made clear that they would only return if the government abandoned the plan.
They say the plan, a blueprint of cost-saving measures to reduce the spiralling budget to 4 per cent of gross domestic product by next year, unfairly hits its core rural voters.
Polish observers say the 52-year-old Prof Belka has a good chance of becoming prime minister, though some criticise him for a lack of charisma.
"It's not a question of charisma. He is not a party man, but a well-known economist. It remains to be seen, though, if he is a party leader," said Dr Robert Sobiech, a political scientist at the University of Warsaw.
There is a worry that the complicated three-stage constitutional process to select a new prime minister and government could take an unexpected twist in the weeks ahead, resulting in early elections.
The ruling Democratic Left Alliance SLD no longer commands a majority in the parliament, the Sejm.
If Mr Belka fails to attract majority support, opposition parties could propose their own candidate, with no guarantee of approval, making early elections likely. That could play havoc with ongoing negotiations on future EU voting rules.
"This is happening at the worst possible moment," said Dr Sobiech.
"Perhaps May 2nd will not be a national holiday but the start of a general election campaign, with a new debate about Nice and the voting compromise. The problem then would be whether the government would then go ahead and sign the constitutional treaty in June."