Voting starts for presidential run-off in Poland

The second round of presidential election kicked off in Poland Sunday with a fierce race between incumbent President Bronislaw Komorowski and opposition challenger Andrzej Duda.

Duda, a representative of the major opposition party Law and Justice, won the first round of voting by a narrow margin, scoring 34.76 percent of the vote.

Komorowski, supported by the ruling Civic Platform Party, got 33.77 percent of the vote.

As none of the candidates won over 50 percent on the May 10 elections, Duda and Komorowski, are set to launch a close contest in the run-off on Sunday, when more than 30 million eligible voters can cast their votes at polling stations across the country from 7:00 am until 9:00 pm.

The National Election Commission plans to issue two statements regarding the turnout of voters. The official results are estimated to be released Monday evening or Tuesday morning.

The 63-year-old Komorowski has been performing the president's duties since 2010. He was chosen in elections following the tragic catastrophe of former President Lech Kaczynski's plane crash in Smolensk, Russia.

Duda is the official candidate of the main opposition party, whose leader is Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin-brother of the deceased president.

The presidential elections in Poland are held once every five years unless the term of office is terminated earlier due to unexpected circumstances. Endi