Poland exit polls give interim president lead

Exit polls in Poland's presidential election Sunday show the interim president and parliament speaker Bronislaw Komorowski leading Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of the president killed in a plane crash in April, but without the 50 per cent needed for outright victory.

If the exit polls are confirmed by official results, a runoff vote would have to be held between Komorowski and Kaczynski on July 4.

An exit poll by Millward Brown SMG/KRC showed Komorowski with 45.7 per cent of the vote and Kaczynski with 33.2 per cent.

A second poll, by OBOP, showed 41.2 per cent for Komorowski and 35.8 per cent for Kaczynski.

But as partial official results were reported several hours later, it appeared that Komorowski's lead was narrower than originally reported.

Based on 71 per cent of voting stations reporting, Komorowski had 40.1 per cent of the votes and Kaczynski had 37.4 per cent, the State Electoral Commission said.

Official results are expected Monday.

The president's death created a surge of public sympathy for Jaroslaw Kaczynski, but because of his combative style some referred to him as "the terrible twin" during Lech Kaczynski's presidency.

Critics said that as prime minister from 2006 to 2007, Jaroslaw Kaczynski came close to making Poland a semi-authoritarian state while constantly picking fights with the leaders of Germany and Russia.

Kaczynski said he is a changed man after his brother's death. In a recent address to the people of Russia, he called for reconciliation and good relations.

The campaign ahead of the snap elections, originally scheduled for September, was overshadowed by the tragedy that claimed the life of the president, his wife and 95 others.

They died when their plane crashed while trying to land in heavy fog in Smolensk, Russia, on April 10. The delegation included many high-ranking Polish government and military leaders.

Komorowski, the liberal and pro-European parliamentary speaker, was the front-runner heading into Sunday's vote. Opinion polls suggested he would garner about 40 per cent of the vote and Kaczynski more than 30 per cent.

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