WARSAW – Poland’s parliament speaker, Bronislaw Komorowski, is on track to become president later this year after his landslide victory in a US-style primary election at the weekend, analysts said yesterday.
A majority of prime minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform (PO) party backed Mr Komorowski (58), for the presidential race in the autumn in an internal party contest – the first time a primary has been held in Poland.
If elected, Mr Komorowski, a PO insider, would co-operate smoothly with the government and probably not block government legislation – as the current conservative president, Lech Kaczynski, has done.
“Unless some completely unexpected developments rock the political scene, it looks like Komorowski has the presidency,” said Jacek Kucharczyk, head of Warsaw’s Institute of Public Affairs think tank.
Mr Kaczynski has not yet said he will seek another five-year term, but analysts expect him to make the announcement in May.
A telephone survey conducted by Millward Brown SMG/KRC on Sunday, after the announcement of the primary result, showed Mr Komorowski winning 38 per cent of votes in the first round of a presidential election, ahead of Mr Kaczynski with 21 per cent.
The survey showed that Mr Komorowski would get 60 per cent in the second round, against 27 per cent for Mr Kaczynski.
Under Polish law the speaker of the lower chamber announces the election date, and Mr Komorowski has until late June to do that. Analysts expect voting to take place in September or October. – (Reuters)