(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Poland’s former governing conservatives are ill-positioned for a return to power, according to a poll by GfK Polonia published in Rzeczpospolita. Only 27 per cent of respondents would vote for the Law and Justice Party (PiS) in the next general election, up one point since mid-January.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Poland’s former governing conservatives are ill-positioned for a return to power, according to a poll by GfK Polonia published in Rzeczpospolita. Only 27 per cent of respondents would vote for the Law and Justice Party (PiS) in the next general election, up one point since mid-January.
The governing Civic Platform (PO) remains the favourite party with 50 per cent. Support is much lower for the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) and the Peasant’s Party (PSL).
In October 2007, Polish voters renewed the Diet, or lower house of Parliament. Final results gave the PO 41.51 per cent of the vote and 209 seats, followed by the PiS with 32.11 per cent and 166 seats. In November, the PO and the PSL—who together hold 240 seats in the 460-member Diet—agreed to form a coalition government. PO leader Donald Tusk was sworn in as prime minister.
In Poland, the definition of presidential powers declares that the head of state is the "guardian of Polish sovereignty and security" who "co-operates" with the government. Prime minister Tusk has suggested since 2008 that President Kaczynski—whose twin brother Jaroslaw leads the opposition PiS—has constantly overstepped his role.
Poland joined the European Union (EU) in 2004. Last September, Tusk announced that the country would adopt the euro by 2012.
On Mar. 10, Polish finance minister Jacek Rostowski praised his country’s ongoing recovery from the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, adding, "We want Poland to be one of the five least indebted countries in the EU. We think that low debt is going to be one of the key competitive advantages in the future."
The next legislative election in Poland is due in the fall of 2011.
Polling Data
What party would you support in the next election?
|
|
Feb. 23
|
Jan. 12
|
Dec. 8
|
|
Civic Platform (PO)
|
50%
|
49%
|
50%
|
|
Law and Justice Party (PiS)
|
27%
|
26%
|
30%
|
|
Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)
|
7%
|
12%
|
9%
|
|
Peasant’s Party (PSL)
|
6%
|
6%
|
4%
|
Source: GfK Polonia / Rzeczpospolita
Methodology: Interviews to 989 Polish adults, conducted from Feb. 18 to Feb. 23, 2010. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
