With less than a month to its scheduled presidential election, Poland seems to be divided over whether or not to hold the election. While a major division is reported within the ruling party with one side calling for a constitutional change that could extend President Andrzej Duda’s tenure by two years and the other calling for postal elections, the opposition has called for a delay pending a long-lasting solution to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Division within the Ruling Party
The Ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) which controls a majority of the lower house in Poland sponsored a bill that was eventually passed by the house, allowing for postal voting in light of the coronavirus outbreak. Although postal voting had only been available to disabled members of the voting community, the bill seeks to make it the official system of voting come May 10. A decision the country’s health minister supports.
President Duda who has been lauded for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic has also received a lot of media attention in contrast to other candidates who are unable to campaign as a result of the country’s lockdown. Looking to capitalize on this media goodwill, PiS has argued that the election should continue as planned to respect the democratic process.
Meanwhile, PiS’s junior governing partner, Accord party, has proposed to delay the election by two years, on condition that Duda would then stand down. In a bill that would extend President Duda’s tenure, the lawmakers called for stability amid “the unprecedented threat to the legal and public security of Polish citizens in connection with the COVID-19 epidemic.”
Speaking during a social media Q&A on Friday, Duda responded to the extension saying, “If the Polish parliament decides on such a solution… I, of course, will agree to such a solution, I am not going to argue with the will of parliament.”
Opposition Party in Poland Reacts
Opposition parties in the lower house of Poland’s parliament, have condemned the plan and demanded the election be postponed. Sticking to the initial date, and requiring millions of people to line up in front of specially built postboxes to deposit ballots, would inevitably lead to more infections, they argue. They also say holding an election during a lockdown can’t be considered fair, as opposition candidates wouldn’t be allowed to go out to campaign.
Borys Budka, leader of the opposition party, Civic Platform (PO) also stated that the two-year postponement was unnecessary as elections could be held safely in Poland before May 2021.
