Poland Delays Presidential Vote Amid Worry Over Democracy
- Ruling party to void Sunday’s election, hold vote in late June
- Opposition wants details on plans to fix democratic lapses
A pedestrian walks by election banners outside Krakow.
Photographer: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Poland delayed Sunday’s presidential election by more than a month to quell concerns that holding it during the height of the coronavirus pandemic via untested mail-in ballots may not be free or fair.
With the European Union’s largest former communist country under lockdown, the ruling Law & Justice Party has been trying to push through sweeping last-minute changes to the election law. It faced resistance from inside the ruling coalition, while the opposition said the amendments undermine the rule of law and favor the government’s candidate, President Andrzej Duda, who leads opinion polls.