Three months after the death of Lech Kaczynski Poles have chosen his replacement, writes DEREK SCALLY
ON A sticky Sunday morning in Warsaw, the oily stains on the pavement outside the yellow apartment block are all that remains of the makeshift shrine.
The stains were left by the wax of dozens of candles that appeared early on April 10th, in front of the home to which President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria would never return.
Three months after the fatal plane crash in the western Russian town of Smolensk, Mr Kaczynski’s neighbours are heading to the school around the corner to elect his successor. For many here, used to seeing late president coming and going from his apartment, this poll is a referendum on whether or not they want his twin brother to follow in his footsteps. It’s a difficult choice.
Local brothers Wiktor and Szymon have argued all the way to the polling station and, after voting, it sounds like they will argue all the way home over the candidates, Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Bronislaw Komorowski.
“Mr Kaczynski is the better man for tough negotiations with the EU and we need a president who’s a controlling factor on the government,” says Wiktor (29), a journalist. “He’s a smart operator and will find a new style of doing politics in Poland.” Mr Kaczynski’s conciliatory new style has been the talk of this election campaign, but it hasn’t convinced Szymon.
“Wiktor tried to get me to vote for Mr Kaczynski but I just don’t believe he’s changed,” said Szymon (31).
On the hill heading up to Warsaw’s old town, people sun themselves in deckchairs outside Caffe Kafka. Radek and Paulina, two 30-year-olds, have just met but are already deep in discussion about the election.
They say their choice hinged on whether they think Poland needs a president who works with the government on reforms, as Mr Komorowski promises, or whether the country needs someone like Mr Kaczynski, who vows to check the government’s legislative power.
“I voted for Mr Komorowski because he is a more civilised, constructive candidate,” said Paulina. “Frankly speaking, I find Mr Kaczynski xenophobic and slightly insane.” As a Kaczynski voter, Radek feels compelled to defend his man.
“It was the media that created this extreme Kaczynski,” he says. “He hasn’t actually changed that much; he hasn’t needed to.”
Before the empty presidential palace, the flags of Poland, the EU and Nato hang limp at half-mast in the heavy air. Two perspiring clowns fashion balloon animals for delighted children as their parents inspect an outdoor exhibition about the Smolensk crash.
Before them, four older women in flowery dresses inspect a Divine Mercy picture pinned above a monochrome portrait of the late first couple.
They say they all voted for Jaroslaw Kaczynski to “continue his brother’s work” – the refrain of his campaign.
Robert, a businessman in his 40s working in the energy sector, says he feels “excitement and anxiety” in the air.
“The new president has a crucial role in keeping up foreign investor interest, as well as influencing how the energy game is played in Europe,” he says. “The late Mr Kaczynski already began to work on a European energy consensus and that needs to be pursued.”
Down the street, before the Royal Palace, a crowd is enjoying a live music set. There is a sense of relief and calm in the sunny, muggy air.
Despite the tragic circumstances of a crash that killed its head of state and dozens of top officials, Poland has staged a mature and sober presidential election campaign. Its young democratic institutions have held firm. Onstage, a singer finds words that sound like thanks and praise for the country: “You gotta say, she’s a solid rock.”