Poland's acting head of state, Bronislaw Komorowski, won most votes in an election yesterday that was forced by the death of the his main rival Jaroslaw Kaczynzki’s twin brother Lech.
Exit polls showed between 41 and 46 per cent of Poles voted for Mr Komorowski, the candidate of the ruling pro-business Civic Platform (PO), and up to 36 per cent for Jaroslaw Kaczynski, head of the right-wing main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS).
Grzegorz Napieralski, candidate of the leftist SLD party, did better than expected with about 13 per cent of the vote. But he and the other seven candidates now drop out of the race, leaving Mr Komorowski and Mr Kaczynski to contest the July 4th runoff.
The two men, both conservative Catholics but with differing styles and views on the euro, market reforms and Poland's place in Europe, are expected to court Mr Napieralski's voters actively.
"Let's mobilise our forces for July 4th," Mr Komorowski told jubilant supporters at his campaign headquarters.
The president, though less powerful than the government, can veto laws, appoints many key officials and has a say in foreign and security policy.
Lech Kaczynski had angered prime minister Donald Tusk's economically liberal government by blocking some reforms.
Yesterday's election, billed as the most unusual in Poland's 21-year post-communist history, was called after the death of Lech Kaczynski and 95 others, mostly top political and military officials, in a plane crash in Russia on April 10th.
Mr Komorowski became acting president on Mr Kaczynski's death in his capacity as speaker of parliament.
A survey by SMG-KRC pollster conducted for TVN24 television last night showed Mr Komorowski winning 54 per cent in the July 4th runoff vote against 39 per cent for Mr Kaczynski.
Financial markets would welcome a victory for Mr Komorowski, a gently-spoken moderate, because he would be expected to work smoothly with the government as it tries to rein in a large budget deficit and to prepare Poland for eventual euro entry.
Mr Kaczynski would probably use his presidential veto to block some reforms, though he has toned down his rhetoric and has said he will seek compromises if elected.
"Instead of harsh, improper and unjust words, we want to have meaningful dialogue," Mr Kaczynski told his supporters after the exit polls confirmed a second round would be needed, in remarks possibly calculated to appeal to leftist voters.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski served as prime minister briefly from 2006 to 2007 when his nationalist views, particularly his deep suspicion of Germany and Russia, severely strained Poland's relations with its neighbours and with the European Union.
The April plane crash sparked an upsurge of sympathy for Jaroslaw, who was close to his brother. Some voters said they were voting for Mr Kaczynski because they saw him as the champion of ordinary Poles against powerful elites.
Turnout on in the election was 52 per cent, slightly higher than in the last presidential election in 2005. About 30 million Poles out of a population of 38 million had been eligible to vote.
Reuters