Poland Delays Presidential Elections amid Coronavirus Pandemic
No New Date Has Been Assigned For the Elections
The government of Poland delays presidential elections, which have been announced after the joint agreement between the leader of the governing party of Poland and its governing coalition partner on Sunday. The election date has been postponed until further notice as no new date has been provided for the poll.
Presidential elections in Poland
As Poland delays presidential elections of 2020, the agreement was announced via a joint statement of current ruling Law and Justice Party’s leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski along with conservative coalition small party leader Jaroslaw Gowin. The elections were scheduled to be held on Sunday, which has now been delayed indefinitely.
According to the leaders behind the joint contract as Poland delays presidential elections, this deal will provide a guaranteed opportunity for Polish people to be able to participate in the democratic elections of the country. This decision has brought simplicity to the chaotic and disordered situation that has left the Polish population in uncertainty as to whether they would be casting their votes on Sunday amid coronavirus pandemic.
The Date of May 10th, 2020, has been decided for the presidential elections months ago, but due to the disarray caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected 15,366 people across the country out of which 776 has died, and the government implemented lockdown, Poland delays presidential elections. Across the country, 5,184 people have been able to successfully recover back to their optimum health levels after experiencing mild symptoms of the infection.
The current governing party of Poland was inclined to stick with the scheduled date for the elections by making it a postal vote, but it was not approved. A percentage of the population of Poland voiced their concerns that the elections being organized on such short notice might not be managed properly and would not be able to meet the democratic quality for fairness.
Political impasse
A difference of opinion between Gowin and Kaczynski has created a standstill that threatened to cause a massive political crisis in the country. This joint statement regarding Poland delays presidential elections suggests that the predicament has been prevented.
According to the new plan of action regarding the elections in the country, on Sunday, the Supreme Court will announce these presidential elections to be void as they did not take place, after which the Parliament Speaker Elzbieta Witek will announce the first possible date for the presidential elections in Poland. No indication has been provided regarding the new date.
The last possible date on which the presidential elections of 2020 in Poland could take place on May 23, under the timeline dictated constitutionally. But as the country is currently suffering through with the coronavirus pandemic, legislature for regulating elections 2020 would be amended, suggesting a later date during which the general population would be able to safely travel. The votes would be directed by the postal ballot.
The current President of Poland, Andrzej Duda’s five-term of the presidency will expire on August 6, and the elections are expected to take place before his term expires, which could be in late June or early July of this year. President Duda is expected to be re-elected as he leads in the opinion polls, which is well ahead as compared to the other nine candidates for the presidency.
The Law and Justice party, who is backing up with President Duda for election as President of Poland, has proposed to hold on all postal vote a month ago, which was rejected by the parliament as the method is impossible for organizational and legal reasons. Poland delays Presidential elections of 2020 until a future date is assigned, which would be after the coronavirus pandemic has ended in the country and lockdown has been lifted.
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