- Title: POLAND: Exit polls show victory for Bronislaw Komorowski in presidential election
- Date: 5th July 2010
- Summary: WARSAW, POLAND (JULY 4, 2010) (REUTERS) POLISH FLAG STATUE IN FRONT OF PRESIDENTIAL PALACE WIDE OF PRESIDENTIAL PALACE PICTURE OF LATE PRESIDENT LECH KACZYNSKI CANDLES PEOPLE LAYING CANDLES IN FRONT OF PRESIDENTIAL PALACE WIDE OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BRONISLAW KOMOROWSKI'S CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS POLISH FINANCE MINISTER, JACEK ROSTOWSKI BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) POLISH FINANCE MINISTER, JACEK ROSTOWSKI, SAYING: "What is dangerous is the turbulence which is happening in the Eurozone which may hit us like a piece of shrapnel. Of course we work alongside our partners to maximise the protection of the Eurozone but what's more important is the European Union itself because if the Eurozone were to fall apart then i think there is no doubt whatsoever that the European Union would fall apart as well. Poland is the biggest beneficiary of the European Union." CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) POLISH FINANCE MINISTER, JACEK ROSTOWSKI, SAYING IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION WHEN HE THINKS POLAND WILL JOIN THE EURO: "2015 is realistic. 2014 is possible. 2016 it can happen. Thank you very much." JOURNALISTS CAMERAMAN (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) FORMER PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST PRIME MINISTER OF POLAND AFTER THE FALL OF COMMUNISM, TADEUSZ MAZOWIECKI, SAYING: "Komorowski's victory means the foreign policy will be reasonable. It will be an open policy towards all neighbours. It will mean strong involvement in the European Union, strong involvement and not being afraid of the union. As far as Polish-Russian relations are concerned important steps have been made and now is the time to go further." PEOPLE GATHERED (SOUNDBITE) (Polish) POLISH PRIME MINISTER, DONALD TUSK, COMMENTING ON THE VERY CLOSE RESULTS BETWEEN KOMOROWSKI AND KACZYNSKI, SAYING: "I would very much like the situation to stabilise and unless there are very clear and dramatic reasons I don't think Poland can afford another election struggle. We've had the first round, we've had the second round, we've had the local elections, but today the Poles have taken a stand, the turnout has been very high despite the holidays but lets go easy on ourselves. We cannot go to the polls every month." WIDE OF KOMOROWSKI HEADQUARTERS DAUGHTER OF LATE PRESIDENT LECH KACZYNSKI, MARTA KACZYNSKI WALKING PAST AND GETTING INTO CAR CAR LEAVES
- Embargoed: 20th July 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Poland
- Country: Poland
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA8N8Y6SQVTR2H5DHWUN0E525HH
- Story Text: Bronislaw Komorowski, the candidate of Poland's ruling pro-business Civic Platform (PO), won Sunday's (July 4) presidential election run-off, exit polls showed, in an outcome that will be applauded by investors.
TVP state television's exit poll gave Komorowski, who was previously acting president, 53 percent of the vote against 47 percent for his rival Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the right-wing main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS).
Kaczynski quickly conceded defeat.
Financial markets will welcome the result because Komorowski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk are close allies from the same party, and the new president is expected to work smoothly with the market-oriented government.
The European Union's largest ex-communist member state is the only economy in the 27-strong bloc to have avoided recession last year, but Poland needs to tame a large budget deficit and growing public debt without derailing a fragile recovery.
Investors had feared a Kaczynski win because of his opposition to spending cuts and privatisation and the likelihood of increased conflict between government and president.
The country's finance minister Jacek Rostowski was positive that Poland would now move closer to joining the Eurozone.
"2015 is realistic. 2014 is possible. 2016 it can happen. Thank you very much," he said.
In Poland, the government led by the prime minister sets policy, but the president can propose and veto laws, appoints many key officials and has a say in foreign and security policy.
Kaczynski's twin brother, President Lech Kaczynski, vetoed several government bills before his tragic death in a plane crash in Russia on April 10.
Traders said they expected the zloty and bonds to firm modestly on Monday (July 5).
Kaczynski conceded defeat in a speech to his supporters but said the result provided a strong springboard for next year's elections.
Sunday's result will also be welcomed in other EU capitals and in Russia because Komorowski backs the Tusk government's initiatives to improve foreign relations that came under strain during Kaczynski's short stint as prime minister in 2006-7.
Turnout was relatively high at 56.2 percent, up from 54 percent in the first round, despite initial fears that hot summer weather might keep many Poles from voting.
Sunday's result was also an impressive one for Kaczynski, who before his brother's death had the highest negative ratings of any Polish politician and whose Law and Justice trailed well behind PO in opinion polls.
Speaking after the exit polls were published, Poland's first Prime Minister after the fall of communism Tadeusz Mazowiecki said the result would be positive for Poland.
"Komorowski's victory means the foreign policy will be reasonable. It will be an open policy towards all neighbours. It will mean strong involvement in the European Union, strong involvement and not being afraid of the union. As far as Polish-Russian relations are concerned important steps have been made and now is the time to go further," he said.
Kaczynski has ridden a wave of public sympathy for his bereavement and also conducted a shrewd campaign in which he largely ditched his past acerbic nationalist rhetoric in a push to win over middle-of-the-road voters.
Kaczynski's 47 percent now puts him and his party in a stronger position ahead of next year's parliamentary election and may make it harder for Tusk's government to risk potentially unpopular fiscal reforms.
Kaczynski's blend of Catholic piety, opposition to some free market reforms and distrust of big business, EU bureaucrats and Poland's historic foe Russia strike a deep chord, especially among older, poorer and provincial voters.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also welcomed the results and added it was time to move on.
"I would very much like the situation to stabilise and unless there are very clear and dramatic reasons I don't think Poland can afford another election struggle. We've had the first round, we've had the second round, we've had the local elections, but today the Poles have taken a stand, the turnout has been very high despite the holidays but lets go easy on ourselves. We cannot go to the polls every month," he told journalists at the Komorowski campaign headquarters in Warsaw.
First partial official results are expected later on Sunday and final results may be ready by late Monday (July 5). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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