Polish president suffers in poll

Warsaw - President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland may fail to win re-election in the first round of voting on Sunday, according…

Warsaw - President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland may fail to win re-election in the first round of voting on Sunday, according to a poll issued yesterday showing a fall in support to below 50 per cent following an incident in which he mocked Pope John Paul II.

His slide follows a TV advertisement by a Solidarity AWS candidate Mr Marian Krzaklewski showing Mr Kwasniewski encouraging an aide to kiss the ground, mimicking the Polish-born Pope's traditional gesture on arriving in foreign countries.