Having cast their ballots, the two big guns in this years presidential election, Donald Tusk and Lech Kaczynski, seem destined for a runoff election later this month. But, the horse-race aside, many political leaders are concerned with an appalling voter turnout rate, most notably Lech Walesa.
Exit polls suggest that only half of Poland's eligible voters showed up to cast a vote. This has Solidarity's freedom fighters understandibly upset. Since their revolution is still fresh in the minds of many, they are voicing their frustration.
"When I fought for democracy, I thought my compatriots would use it, but now I wonder -- what was all this suffering for, these searches, beatings, arrests?" mused Walesa. "We should have kept the Soviets around -- the commies, the riot cops, the truncheons -- maybe it didn't last long enough and that's why people have made this decision (not to vote)."
For Poles, this is like having George Washington curse out Americans or having Winston Churchill suggest that maybe he should have let the Germans take a little bit of England so that British citizens would appriciate it more.
Since a runoff election is probable, Poles will get a chance to either redeem themselves or face more stinging criticism from a cultural and historic icon. |