Uitstel van referendum over EU-grondwet in Polen (en)

The Polish ruling Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) has pushed back an early election over fears that the centre-right eurosceptic opposition could block the European Constitution if elected.

SLD President Jozef Oleksy said, according to news agency AFP, "the elections should be held at the end of the legal mandate to prevent the right, which is opposed to the European constitution, rejecting the Treaty".

The party had previously promised to hold the election in June this year but it is now more likely to come in Autumn.

Opinion polls currently give the centre-right opposition a clear lead - 25 percent, 14 points, more than the SLD. Two staunchly eurosceptic parties, Samoobrona and the Polish Family League, are also expected to receive 14 and 13 percent respectively.

Poland is now expected to hold a referendum on the Constitution at the same time as the election, which the SLD party said would guarantee the 50 percent turnout required for a referendum to be valid.

The Constitution cannot be ratified earlier partly because of translation errors in the text.

A majority of Poles is currently in favour of the Constitution.