As fears surrounding the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue to rise globally, many countries have been forced to rethink their election campaigns following the results of Iran’s attempt to vote amidst the epidemic. Now, the virus is set to significantly affect the upcoming presidential elections in Poland with incumbent President Andrzej Duda announcing his decision to cancel all large election campaign meetings, as the country grapples with the rising toll of its affected citizens.
The President, who made this announcement at a press conference on Monday, said that recent developments and health concerns surrounding the virus across Europe with special focus on Poland, has forced his hand when it comes to campaigning for his re-election.
“I have made the decision that I will not organise large meetings in connection with my presidential campaign because these are meetings that hundreds of people come to and it seems to me that the risk that this may lead to the spread of coronavirus is too great.”
Coronavirus Situation in Poland
Duda’s announcement comes one week after the government in Poland announced that it had recorded its first confirmed coronavirus patient, and a plan to introduce checks at its borders in an attempt to curb its spread, however, as at the time of filing this report, 17 people have been recorded with the virus in Poland.
While his fear seems valid, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at a news conference explained that while new cases had been recorded among the country’s 38 million residents, no one has died from the virus in Poland and several measures are currently in place to prevent its spread. Additionally, they have noted that it is too early to say the resultant impact it might have on the elections.
Polling Numbers
Regardless of his recent announcement, President Andrzej Duda’s spot as an election front runner seems to be shaky after polling numbers revealed that his approval ratings had fallen by 6 per cent down to 40 per cent. If he fails to secure 50 per cent of the votes in the first round of voting in Poland on May 10, there will be a run-off election. However, his opposition does not seem to be faring better with Civic Platform’s Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska and PSL’s Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz polling worse with 23 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively.
