The presidential election in Poland should be postponed for two years or held at any time by mail due to the Covid-19, Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski recommended Friday.
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In so pronouncing, Lukasz Szumowski, figurehead of the fight against the pandemic and who plays as such, without having sought it, a key role in the political question of the poll scheduled for May 10, supported the position of the party conservative in power, of which he is a member. This formation, Law and Justice (PiS), supports the outgoing president Andrzej Duda, who comes from it and seeks a second mandate.
The opposition demands an adjournment of this election, considering that in the current situation the vote in May would increase the risks of contagion and would unduly favor the Head of State, the other candidates not being able to campaign. But she would like such a postponement to be made through the proclamation of the state of emergency, which the government refuses, preferring to resort to a constitutional revision. " A traditional presidential election, in which we all go to the polling stations, could only take place safely in two years at the earliest, that is my recommendation, " Lukasz Szumowski told reporters.
His party had proposed to amend the Constitution to postpone the presidential election for two years, to extend Mr. Duda's mandate by the same amount and to exclude at the same time that he could stand for re-election. But to revise the basic law, you need a qualified majority that the PiS does not have and that the opposition parties refuse to form with it. " If the political parties do not accept this solution ", the only option is " the postal vote which can be organized at any time, " said the minister.
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The opposition and some experts believe that the presidential election only by correspondence next month - already imposed by a vote of the parliament dominated by the conservatives - violates a constitutional rule according to which any modification of the electoral code must be introduced at the latest six months before the ballot. Analysts say the PiS is concerned that its candidate, head of state Andrzej Duda, may not be re-elected if the poll is to take place this fall, when the Polish economy will suffer the consequences of the pandemic. According to official figures, Poland has nearly 8,400 cases of contamination, including 332 fatal, out of a population of 38 million.
