2007. "In the European Council's view, the constitution is alive and that is the most important message for us," Szymczycha said. Prime Minister Marek Belka said on Thursday in Brussels he also favoured an October referendum, adding that it was up to parliament and Kwasniewski to decide about ratification of the treaty, meant to streamline EU decision-making. As the ruling left seems likely to be ousted in the September election, analysts say parliament must decide on the referendum date before then if it is to go ahead in October. Holding the referendum at the same time as presidential elections on Oct. 9 may help the ailing leftists to focus the campaign on EU issues and divert attention from numerous sleaze scandals which have eroded their popularity to around 5 percent. But analysts cautioned that they would also take a big risk as support for the constitution has dropped, especially after several EU members said they would delay ratification. --SP 2345 Local Time 2045 GMT
