Head of the Civic Platform’s parliamentary party, Zbigniew Chlebowski, said Monday morning that Prime Minister Tusk is the “natural choice” for candidate in the 2010 presidential elections.

“It’s no secret that the prime minister is our natural choice of candidate, the best choice of candidate,” said Chlebowski at a press conference at the lower house of parliament, the Sejm.

When asked who would replace Donald Tusk as prime minister, Chlebowski suggested deputy prime minister and current minister of interior, Grzegorz Schetyna.

The opposition Law and Justice party has long accused Donald Tusk of using the position of prime minister as a launch pad for the position of president and everything the government currently undertakes is a PR stunt to that effect.

The incumbent president, Lech Kaczynski is currently in his first term and has indicated that he will strand again in 2010. Kaczynski beat Tusk – contrary to many opinion poll predictions - in the election of 2005. (pg)