Top leftist candidate quits Polish presidency race

Alliance-backed candidate Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz pulled out of the race for the Polish presidency yesterday, saying he was the victim of a smear campaign over his personal finances.

His withdrawal effectively turned the race into a straight fight between two centre-right rivals and appeared to end the Democratic Left Alliance's (SLD) hopes of retaining some power in twin presidential and parliamentary polls on October 9.

Many analysts said Liberal Donald Tusk, the front-runner in the campaign, was expected to benefit most from Mr Cimoszewicz's withdrawal and some said he could win outright in the first round by capturing more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Until now the presidential contest in the European Union member nation had been widely expected to go to a run-off between the two top contenders.

"Black propaganda against me has brought results... In protest, I quit the presidential election," Mr Cimoszewicz, who has denied any wrongdoing, told a news conference.

A parliamentary investigation, dominated by rightist deputies, showed Mr Cimoszewicz failed to declare shares worth about 500,000 zlotys ($155,900) that he bought on behalf of his daughter, prompting accusations he tried to hide his wealth.

The formerly communist SLD, tarnished by a string of sleaze scandals during its four years in power, did not put forward an official candidate but supported Mr Cimoszewicz, a former foreign minister.

Mr Tusk leads in opinion polls and is some 20 percentage points ahead of his nearest rival, conservative Warsaw mayor Lech Kaczynski.

"(Mr Cimoszewicz's withdrawal) would mean that Mr Tusk is almost surely Mr President," said Wieslaw Kaczmarek, a former leftist treasury minister.

Mr Tusk played down the impact of Mr Cimoszewicz's pull-out. "The support Cimoszewicz had won't simply shift to one candidate. I don't think it will have a big impact on the final result," Mr Tusk told reporters.

Mr Kaczynski, fighting to catch up with Mr Tusk, secured backing yesterday from the leadership of the 700,000-strong Solidarity trade union that played a major role in forcing the collapse of communist rule in Poland in 1989.

Mr Cimoszewicz, once favourite to succeed leftist presidential incumbent Aleksander Kwasniewski, dropped to third place after rivals and the media raised questions about his personal finances.

A lawyer by training, he had nurtured an image as an independent-minded politician who had stayed clear of the scandals that have engulfed the SLD.

Mr Cimoszewicz said he had made a mistake after the parliamentary probe's findings but denied trying to hide anything, accusing the centre-right of blowing the issue out of proportion and using dirty tricks.

He declined to endorse fellow leftist presidential candidate Marek Borowski, who has only marginal support.