"A new face is the first step (and) we are open to talks. But Olejniczak at the wheel is just one thing, we also need to see who is behind him," Borowski told reporters. The SDPL on Saturday signed an election pact with former SLD allies the Labour Union and hopes Borowski will emerge as the leading leftist candidate for October's presidential elections. After a popular run directing Poland's first distribution of EU farm aid, Olejniczak is the SLD's third leader in 15 months and the first who was not a communist party member pre-1989. He beat outgoing general secretary Marek Dyduch, who had promised to lead the party back to its leftist roots, but has been highly critical of Borowski's Social Democracy of Poland (SDPL) party. "This is a good move, but probably much too late," Kazimierz Kik, professor of sociology at the Swietokrzyska University told Reuters. "The party has broken with a shamed past and gone for a new face, but the internal division of the SLD and fall in support will be very hard to make back in three months." Olejniczak said little about policy plans but said he did not rule out proposals for new bills raising budget spending ahead of the election, which have worried financial markets. The new SLD chief also said he would submit his resignation as agriculture minister on Monday. --SP 2333 Local Time 2033 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/266001