Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the election campaign has been virtually frozen for weeks.
Polish President Andrzej Duda considers the idea of holding the election of the head of state on May 10 by mail one of the possible exits in the conditions of the coronavirus epidemic. He said this on Thursday on the air of Polish Radio.
“The elections should be held on May 10”, – Duda said, stressing that such a decision was made in accordance with the Constitution by the Speaker of the Sejm. According to him, “life and health of citizens are in the first place”, “but the constitutional order is also important, as well as the continuity of power, which is ensured through democratic elections.
“The only way is to create conditions for safe conduct of elections,” said the head of state. “Postal voting is something that can be done,” he said. “If the elections are held by mail in compliance with all the provisions of the law, then I’m in favor, but they should be held in such a way that the safety of citizens is guaranteed”, – said Duda.
Elections in Poland
On May 10, the first round of presidential elections should be held in Poland. If none of the candidates gains more than 50% of the votes, the second round will be held on May 24 with the participation of the two candidates, who won a majority. Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the election campaign has been virtually frozen for several weeks. Many politicians and, according to polls, more than 70% of the Polish population consider it necessary to postpone the expression of will to a later date under such conditions.
The ruling Law and Justice Party of Poland (LJP) and the government claim that there is no reason to postpone the elections. According to the Constitution, voting can be postponed only if a state of emergency is declared in the country. The authorities do not see the need for this despite the epidemic.
On Monday, the Lower House of the Polish Parliament (Sejm) adopted a draft on distance voting proposed by the CS. Its authors stated that postal voting was a necessary measure to protect voters during the COVID-19 epidemic in the country. Many politicians, an opposition afraid of falsification, experts and a trade union of postmen opposed this form of voting throughout the country. The new law has now been sent to the Senate (upper house of parliament) for consideration.