While many Poles are still in shock over the crash of the presidential airplane in Russia, politicians are gearing up for the vote that decides the succession of Kaczynski.

"The campaign will start in the coming weeks and I expect fierce verbal sparring," Anna Quirin, a Poland expert with the German Council on Foreign Relations, a Berlin think tank, said in a statement.

Kaczynski and his wife Maria died in a plane crash April 10 in which 94 other people -- political, religious, military and cultural leaders -- also perished. The first couple was laid to rest in Krakow Sunday.

Despite the tragic loss of life of much of Poland's power elite, the country remains politically stable, Quirin said. Most of the positions left vacant after the crash have been filled.

A new presidential election is expected for next month or June, and all parties, including Kaczynski's Law and Justice Party, or PiS, are preparing their candidacies.

PiS might throw into the race Lech's brother Jaroslaw, the former prime minister; the party will be closely monitored whether it uses the crash by stylizing Lech Kaczynski, a controversial politician, into a national hero.

Several thousand people rallied in Poland last week to protest the burial arrangements in Wawel Cathedral in Krakow, an honor usually reserved for Polish royals.

Parliamentary Speaker and acting President Bronislaw Komorowski is favored to win the elections, Quirin said.

Komorowski is considered more Europe- and Russia-friendly than Kaczynski, who fought determinedly for Polish interests within the European Union, sometimes alienating leaders in Brussels.

Unpopular in Moscow for his stark anti-Russian course, he was a close ally of Washington under George W. Bush and supported his plans for a missile defense system to be stationed in Poland and the Czech Republic.

There are indications that Polish-Russian relations can now improve.

"The meeting between (Russian Prime Minister) Vladimir Putin and (his Polish counterpart Donald) Tusk and the Russian reaction to the plane crash have resonated positively in Poland," Quirin said.

The victims of the April 10 crash included politicians, military leaders, church officials, the country's national bank chief, the head of Poland's Olympic Committee and relatives of those killed in the World War II Katyn massacre. Kaczynski and his party were to attend a memorial ceremony for the 20,000 Polish slain by Stalin's forces in 1940.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev attended the funeral of Kaczynski and his wife Maria in Krakow Sunday. Travel restrictions due to the volcanic ash cloud barred other leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy from traveling to Poland.

When the 26-year-old Tupolev Tu-154 airliner tried to land in Smolensk despite thick fog, it crashed and burned, killing everyone on board. Putin heads an investigation into the crash. Initial reports suggest a pilot error.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News