Recall that, in accordance with the Constitution, presidential elections should have been held last Sunday, may 10, but the epidemic of the coronavirus has mixed all the plans. From March 20 in Poland there is a regime of the epidemic, health Minister Lucas Shumovsky persuaded the government to send 30 million voters in the precinct at this time – too risky.
the Ruling party “law and Justice” did not want to postpone elections to a later date since, according to the survey, in may have its candidate, the incumbent President Andrzej Duda – was more likely to win in the first round. So she tried to push through Parliament amendments, allowing to hold elections by mail. But the opposition delayed the timing of the vote in the Senate, and ultimately the document was adopted three days before the election, when to prepare for the first in the history of modern Poland postal voting was impossible. This was followed by an unprecedented decision not to open polling stations on may 10, and when the State election Commission shall declare elections failed to announce the date for a new vote.
But even after this the ruling party was in a difficult situation: the partners in the ruling coalition refused to pass on mail to the authority for the preparation and conduct of elections of the head of state. And the Minister of health, strongly objected to the usual voting at the polls. And the lower chamber of Parliament accepted a compromise: the elections will be held as usual, but who wish to vote by mail will have the same opportunity. It needs to be 12 days before the vote to inform the local administration. If the voter will be quarantined or isolated because of the coronavirus, he will be able to inform about the need of the postal ballot two days before the election date. Such voters will receive the packages of ballot papers and voting will be required to send them by mail or delivered in person. In addition, the Sejm adopted the amendment of the Ministry of health, which prescribes, in the case that part of the territory of the country will be elevated levels of epidemiological risk, to spend in these areas, only post elections. The corresponding decree of the head of the Ministry of health must be announced a week before the date of the vote. And since the elections on may 10 did not take place through no fault of the registered candidates, the decision of the deputies, they remain candidates and new elections. But those who decides to nominate his candidacy now will have to collect the necessary 100 thousand signatures of voters.
Now adopted by the Parliament, the document shall, within 30 days to consider the Senate – the upper house of Parliament. But even if the senators do not approve ��mandrel to the electoral code, the ruling party has in the diet a sufficient number of votes to overcome the veto of the upper chamber. And the President Andrzej Duda usually sign all documents adopted by the party “law and Justice”, so get his autograph deputies will be easy. It is expected that in the near future, the speaker of the Sejm elżbieta Witek will appoint new date of elections: June 28, or 5, or 12 July. Term Andrzej Duda expires on 6 August. Until that time, should take place first, and if no candidate attains more than 50 percent of the votes, a second round of elections. Between them must pass two weeks.
