Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski on Monday officially named a minority conservative government headed by Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz after the failure of coalition talks with liberals.
"Society has chosen a state reconstruction programme. To carry out this programme, a team of experts is needed, determined to do it," Marcinkiewicz, 46, said, during a nomination ceremony at the presidency.
"We also have to reinstate honour, sincerity and transparency in the service of the state," he added.
Marcinkiewicz said he and his 17 new ministers, of whom 10 are from his Law and Justice (PiS) party and the rest conservative independents, would hold their first meeting later in the day.
The new cabinet replaces the left-wing administration of Marek Belka, which was swept aside by voters in the September 25 elections.
French-born diplomat Stefan Meller, 63, takes over as foreign minister. The finance portfolio has gone to university professor Teresa Lubinska, 53, Radoslaw Sikorski, 42, becomes defence minister and Ludwik Dorn, 51, who is president of the PiS parliamentary group, takes over the interior ministry.