"It was a pailful of cold water to wake us up," said Mr. Rutkowski, who lost his parliamentary race.

A second round of voting, to be held on Dec. 23, will probably be necessary, at least to decide some of the parliamentary races, opposition leaders said.

President Alia, leader of the reform-minded faction, was defeated in his parliamentary race in a central district of Tirana.

Other opposition heavyweights, in both Keadilan and a vocal ethnic Chinese opposition party, lost their parliamentary races.

Article 93: would give the highest appeal court the power to rule on challenges to disputed parliamentary races, whereas before only the parliament could decide.

Winners in last fall's parliamentary races pursued similar strategies, campaigning as outsiders against a corrupt, out-of-touch political machine in Warsaw.

He has not held elected office before, and lost two parliamentary races in 2000 and 2004.

All other major contenders in the parliamentary race are blocs hastily formed around individual politicians.

It had been expected to do at least as well as the new Socialists in the parliamentary races.

His political career, which dates to his first parliamentary race in 1947, is studded with dismal defeats followed by stunning comebacks.