Tusk Edges Away In Election Race
Support for Donald Tusk increased dramatically this month in Poland, according to a poll by TNS OBOP. 49 per cent of respondents would vote for the Civic Platform (PO) nominee in next month’s presidential election, up 26 points since early August.
Warsaw mayor Lech Kaczynski of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) is second with 29 per cent, followed by Self-Defence of the Polish Republic (SRP) leader Andrzej Lepper with 11 per cent, and Marek Borowski of the Social Democracy of Poland (SDP) with six per cent. Support is lower for Maciej Giertych of the League of Polish Families (LPR), Jaroslaw Kalinowski of the Peasant’s Party (PSL) and Henryka Bochniarz of the Democratic Party (PD).
SLD member Aleksander Kwasniewski has been Poland’s head of state since 1995. The election is scheduled for Oct. 9. If no candidate garners more than 50 per cent of all cast ballots, a run-off would take place on Oct. 23.
The presidential race has lost two contenders. Centre (C) party senator Zbigniew Religa dropped out and endorsed Tusk, saying, "This is necessary to carry out the vision of a modern Poland." Former prime minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) also withdrew alleging a "dirty campaign of defamation" after questions emerged about alleged false testimony in a 2001 personal assets declaration.
On Sept. 19, Tusk said he would oppose Germany’s bid to join the United Nations (UN) Security Council, declaring, "The Germans have to understand that in Poland soon there will be a new government, which will not for some inconceivable reason support German interests as long as the Germans will not support our interests."