Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, now battling against Parliamentary Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski for nomination as Civic Platform’s (PO) presidential candidate, has said he would be a better head of state than his rival when it came to modernizing the country.

Speaking on Polish Radio this morning, Sikorski said that he strongly supports plans of PM Donald Tusk to change Poland’s constitution, which would significantly cut back the powers of the head of state. In particular, Sikorski said that as a president he would use his veto power only as a last resort.

Incumbent president, Lech Kaczynski, has repeatedly frustrated government reforms in the media, health and other sectors by vetoing legislation. The reforms presented by PM Tusk would effectively strengthen the powers of government at the expense of the president, powers given to the head of state in the 1997 amendments to the constitution.

The Civic Platform primary elections are to wind up on Thursday, while the official candidate of the ruling party will be presented on Saturday.

Radoslaw Sikorski added this morning that, due to reports from Civic Platform HQ that only one-in-three of the 46,000 members of the party has so far voted, he would not oppose prolonging the primaries by one day. (ab/pg)