Artykuł pochodzi z pisma "New Warsaw Express"

Lepper for President

A new poll this week showed Andrzej Lepper, the populist leader of the Samoobrona party, as a favourite to win Poland's presidential elections next year. Lepper headed the survey, prepared for the tabloid daily Super Express, with 18 percent support, followed closely by social democrat and former Sejm speaker Marek Borowski and former evening TV news anchor Tomasz Lis.
Previously the polls were clearly topped by the wife of the current president - Jolanta Kwasniewska. After she officially dropped out earlier this year, however, the race was left wide open.
Poland's presidential polls have a history of oddball candidates. In 1990, unknown Canadian-Polish businessman Stanislaw Tyminski came from nowhere, and only lost to Solidarity legend Lech Walesa in the second round of voting. In the last election in 2000, nobody even got close to Kwasniewski, allowing him to reach 50 percent of the vote and a straight victory in the first round. The poll shows that this is unlikely to be the case this time.
"It's hard not to be cheered by these results," Lepper told Super Express. "I am sure I will start in the presidential election, but for the moment the most important thing is the parliamentary elections."

STEVEN MULLER

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