Cimoszewicz decides not to run in the Presidential race as election dates are set

His decision is a strong blow not only for the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) but for the whole left. President Aleksander Kwaśniewski and the head of the SLD parliamentary club Krzysztof Janik, hoped that if Cimoszewicz runs for the presidential seat, this would have been the first step towards unifying the left. Meanwhile, Polish Social Democracy (SDPL) leader Marek Borowski announced his plans to be a candidate in the race. During the same conference President Aleksander Kwaśniewski announced that the Parliamentary elections will take place on September 25, while just two weeks later on October 9 will see the first round of elections for the President. If none of the candidates collect over 50% of the votes, a second round is planned for October 23. President Kwaśniewski also said that if Parliament decides that it is the public that should vote on the European Constitution, the referendum will be organized jointly with either Parliamentary or Presidential elections. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 3; Rzeczpospolita, p. A1) A.K.