The Corona epidemic has cast a shadow over the presidential elections in Poland scheduled for May 10, and has divided the government between those calling for a vote in the mail and those who refuse to do so, while other voices are calling for their delay until the epidemic breaks.
Parliament is expected to vote later Monday on a motion submitted by ruling party leader Garoslaw Kaczynski to conduct the elections by postal vote. But a faction in the ruling coalition opposes this and demands that elections be postponed until after the epidemic.
Parliament was scheduled to vote last Friday on the postal option, but disagreements prevented that, and it is feared that the matter will be repeated today as well, threatening the collapse of the government.
Conservative President Andre Doda tops the polls as he seeks a second five-year term, and the ruling Law and Justice party that supports him looks for a way to move ahead with voting on schedule, to strengthen power in times of crisis, and believes that postponing elections until after the end of the epidemic will weaken his chances In winning because the implications for it will be more painful.
But opposition lawmakers consider that holding elections during the epidemic "will be undemocratic because opposition candidates cannot travel across the country for the campaign due to the strict closure ordered by the government as the number of casualties increases, while Doda still benefits from heavy coverage on government media."
Law and Justice party officials insist that the current election timetable - voting on May 10 and re-election on the 24th of the same month - are "consistent with what the constitution stipulates and should not be changed."
While doubts surround the ability of the postal service - which is already suffering - to deal with the ballot papers of 30 million voters, a union leader suggested that other authorities would intervene to help, including the military, and cited that Kaczynski's appointment of Deputy Defense Minister as the new head of the post service in the country.
It is reported that Poland has recorded more than 4,100 cases and 94 deaths among its population of 38 million.