Break balance among parties

The balance of political powers in Poland may also be at risk in the wake of the lethal accident.

The two most influential parties in the Eastern European nation now are the opposition Kaczynski-led Law and Justice Party (PiS), and the ruling Civic Platform (PO), which is headed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

While both camps were hit hard in the leadership by the disaster, the blow for the president's bloc is obviously more deadly.

In the short run, the president's party may live on people's compassion. But the possibility of this compassion winning over the party's long-standing inferiority in opinion polls against the ruling party remains slim.

The baneful impacts of the air crash may turn out to be chronic for the PiS, as well as for the whole political scenario in Poland.

Elections plan disturbed

Most political parties were already geared up for a hard battle in the upcoming presidential elections, which were slated for October 2010.

But at least two candidates were no longer able to compete. One was incumbent President Kaczynski, who was expected to announce his plan to seek another term in May.

The other was Jerzy Szmajdzinski, deputy speaker of the Polish parliament and a leader of the Democratic Left Alliance. He was also on the crashed plane.

It is believed that the gutting of leadership would send the two parties at a loss for a while, and upset their original campaign plans to a massive extent.

Under Poland's Constitution, Parliament Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski, who has become acting president after the death of Kaczynski, should announce early elections within 14 days; and a vote must be held within another 60 days.

But will a hurry-up election do when the entire Poland is still grieving?

Some analysts are optimistic. According to them, the political system in Poland has basically taken shape, and all political parties have achieved basic stability and maturity over the past two decades after drastic changes took place in Eastern Europe.

The most that Saturday's tragedy can do is changing the name of the next president, while the political structure and system of the country shall be able to refrain from any fundamental change, they said.