Poland’s ruling parties agree to delay presidential vote due to coronavirus pandemic

WARSAW – Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and a junior coalition partner announced a late-night agreement on Wednesday to delay a presidential election scheduled for Sunday to be held at a later date, averting a possible political crisis.

The timing of the election became disputed in Poland after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with PiS insisting the vote be held as scheduled while the opposition accusing it of putting political gain ahead of public health.

Further the conservative ruling coalition was also at the verge of breakup due to disagreements over how to handle the balloting, with the junior coalition partner saying it would oppose in parliament a PiS plan to hold the vote entirely via the post because of health concerns.

The announcement of delay in the presidential election though eased the tension between PiS and its coalition partner but the plan for anew election date and its methodology is yet to be decided as per sources.