“Moustache or smartphone?” asks RZECZPOSPOLITA looking at the results of research on which presidential candidate of the ruling Civic Platform has more support in the party’s pre-elections.

The result is 60% to 35% in favour of the moustache, that is parliamentary Speaker Bronisław Komorowski rather than Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski. However, “the differences  between the two candidates are aesthetic rather than substantive” notes RZECZPOSPOLITA in an editorial, although – as it writes – both the conservative image struck by Komorowski and man-of-the-world Sikorski are expressions of Polish dreams in generally stable times.

GAZETA WYBORCZA asks why a Nazi SS guardsmand from another extermination camp, Bełżec, is to be a witness at the German trial of Sobibor guard John Demjanjuk.  Now 89-year-old  Samuel Kunz is a retired  administration official residing quietly near Bonn and probably the last living representative of the camp guards at Bełżec, where in 1942 the Nazis murdered 600 thousand Polish Jews. How is it that he is not on trial too?  asks the paper.  

Back to RZECZPOSPOLITA for worries that “The economy is lethargic: budget income is lower than last year, unemployment is rising and Poles have cut spending”. Among others, the state has collected much less from its most important tax, VAT. “This is down by 6% while the budget forecast an 8% rise this year” calculates the paper, commenting that the economy is still feeling the crisis and will need more time to pick up.  The harsh winter also contributed, halting construction and production, and inhibiting activity overall, writes RZECZPOSPOLITA.

But Poles are living better lives, reports GAZETA WYBORCZA, noticing that we spend less on food and more on pleasures – the traditional indicator of improved standards. Though catching up with the rest of Europe will take us another 20 years, more Poles have cars, statistically everyone has a mobile phone, we eat out, go out and travel more often. It’s our Polish nature to keep complaining but living standards are perceptibly higher, writes the paper.

Meanwhile DZIENNIK GAZETA PRAWNA reports on booming trade in internet sites. “More and more addresses are being created only to be later resold at a considerable profit” reports the paper, adding that Poland ranks fifth in Europe in respect of registered websites. The number of addresses ending in .pl almost doubled over the past two years, with 1.7 million now on the web. 90 thousand Polish addresses have been parked by owners, who are waiting for the right moment to sell. DZIENNIK GAZETA PRAWNA looks at the most lucrative site names, some of which brought in up to half a million zloty, also adding that sex.pl does exist but as yet is not for sale.

And some good news for the end: GAZETA WYBORCZA daily informs of the sensational discovery of a pyramidal orchid, officially last seen here in 1933. Until the proper ministry reacts, the whereabouts of the rare pink flower is being kept secret, because - as the paper points out - since it’s extinct, it’s not protected in any way. (ek)