Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin on Monday warned that lawmakers who do not support conducting next weekend’s presidential election by postal vote would find themselves out of the governing majority.
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According to Sasin, a Bill is underway that will allow the upcoming election to be a nationwide postal vote due to the threats caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
However, Lower house lawmakers would have to decide on its fate possibly on Thursday.
Sasin added that those who do not show loyalty to the bill by way of supporting it would have to leave the governing majority party and chose another political party.
However, some members of Porozumienie (Agreement), a faction within the parliamentary caucus of governing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, reportedly opposed the bill.
The leader of Porozumienie, Jaroslaw Gowin, had resigned from the government because of the issue, stating that holding an election on Sunday as scheduled would pose a threat to public health.
Also, the postal vote idea was heavily criticized in the country amid concerns that a hastily introduced procedure might not meet democratic standards.
However, if enough Porozumienie lawmakers vote against or abstain, PiS might fall short of a majority to introduce a postal vote.
According to the current legal framework, the election is scheduled for Sunday, but holding the election on that date is unlikely.
“At this point we have to say it outright. It is a deadline that will be hard to meet. We have to also blame long proceedings in the opposition-controlled Senate.
“The opposition majority in the Senate decided to torpedo the presidential election,” Sasin said.
The bill was adopted by the lower house in a matter of hours on April 6, but has since been debated by the Senate.
The upper house will likely use the entire 30-day period the constitution gives it to debate a bill and send it back to the lower house, which has the final say, only on Wednesday.
If introduced, the postal vote bill would allow the vote to be postponed slightly, likely until May 17 or May 23.
If the bill is rejected, Poland would have to hold a traditional ballot on Sunday. However, preparations for a traditional election have stalled and it could prove impossible to organize at such short notice.
One of the ways of legally postponing the election would be to introduce a state of natural disaster, a solution favoured by the opposition.
According to commentators, PiS is pushing for a May election as it fears that, once economic effects of lockdown are felt, high support for incumbent Andrzej Duda may evaporate, making it difficult for Duda to secure a second term.