Komorowski (left) with Sikorski

Bronislaw Komorowski is now the front runner to beat incumbent Lech Kaczynski in the presidential elections later this year, according to a new opinion poll by GfK Polonia.

In the first round of elections, Komorowski has taken over from Radek Sikorski as Civic Platform’s best hope of getting their candidate into the Presidential Palace, receiving 28 percent support to President Kaczynski’s 17 percent. Foreign Minister Sikorski would receive 25 percent to Kaczynski’s 19 percent.

The Rzeczpospolita newspaper, which commissioned the poll, quotes political scientists who think that Sikorski’s main argument - that he has more support in the country than Komorowski and would be better able to stop Kaczynski from gaining a second term - is now less convincing.

Either Komorowski, speaker of the lower house of parliament, or Minister Sikorski will be chosen by Civic Platform as their candidate in the elections later this year in an internal primary ballot this month.

The GfK Polonia poll found that if the second round of the elections, with just two candidates in a head-to-head run off was held next Sunday then the results would be as follows, depending on who Civic Platform’s candidate was:

Bronislaw Komorowski (52 percent). - Lech Kaczynski (28 percent).

Radoslaw Sikorski (50 percent). - Lech Kaczynski (26 percent).

Bronislaw Komorowski (47 percent). - Andrzej Olechowski (28 percent).

Radoslaw Sikorski (39 percent). - Andrzej Olechowski (25 percent).

Andrzej Olechowski (41 percent). - Lech Kaczyński (29 percent). (pg)