WARSAW, Nov. 5 -- European Council President Donald Tusk, a former Polish Prime Minister, in a Tuesday conversation with Polish media said he will not run in next year's presidential election in Poland, Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported.

"It (the election) calls for a candidacy that is not burdened by a load of difficult, unpopular decisions and I have been burdened by such a load since the times when I was prime minister," Tusk was quoted as saying by PAP.

The former Polish PM said he will support an opposition candidate running against incumbent President Andrzej Duda. Duda is affiliated with the ruling Law and Justice party, whose main rival is the opposition Civic Platform (PO), of which Tusk was formerly the leader.

"I'm announcing this decision today, because time is pressing and I would not like to cause any difficulties for the opposition in selecting candidates," Tusk said.

"I will use every opportunity to continue to strengthen Poland's position in Europe and the world," he added.

PO's Tomasz Siemoniak, a former defence minister, commented that Tusk's words had dispelled speculation and now the party needed to select a presidential candidate as quickly as possible.