Despite reports to the contrary it seems that deputy prime minister Wlademar Pawlak could well be chosen  as Polish Peasant’s Party candidate in the presidential elections this year in Poland.

“I think [Pawlak] is slowly coming around to this position,”  Minister of Agriculture and PSL MP Marek Sawicki told Polskie Radio this morning. “Hr is the natural candidate,” he said.

Media reports over the past few weeks have been suggesting that the PSL presidential candidate will be a women, specifically deputy speaker in the lower house of parliament, Ewa Kierzkowska.

Last week, Pawlak – who is economy minister in the PSL/Civic Platform ruling coalition, refused to rule in or rule out Kierzkowska as candidate, saying “all options are being looked at”.

The Supreme Council of PSL will meet on March 20 to discuss the presidential elections and a final decision will be taken in mid-April.

Last year Pawlak’s reputation was sullied, somewhat, after Prime Minister Donald Tusk reprimanded him for violating standards of conduct by establishing an allegedly nepotistic business-social arrangement involving his family and his role as head of the fire services union.

Pawlak has served two short periods as prime minister of Poland in the early to mid 1990s. He was also PSL presidential candidate in 1995 but came a distant fifth in the first round of voting. (pg)