February 09, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The governing Civic Platform (PO) remains widely popular in Poland, according to a poll by SMG/KRC released by TVP. 53 per cent of respondents would back the PO in the next general election, while 24 per cent would support the opposition Law and Justice Party (PiS).

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The governing Civic Platform (PO) remains widely popular in Poland, according to a poll by SMG/KRC released by TVP. 53 per cent of respondents would back the PO in the next general election, while 24 per cent would support the opposition Law and Justice Party (PiS).

The Left and Democracy (LiD) is a distant third with nine per cent, followed by the Peasant’s Party (PSL) with six per cent.

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 of the vote 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.

Poland’s relationship with Russia has been recently strained over its potential participation in a U.S.-backed missile defence shield. The plan has sparked an angry reaction from the Russian government, which sees it as a threat to its own national security.

Yesterday, Tusk visited Moscow and discussed the situation, saying, "We know that the U.S. and the Czech Republic do not exclude some kind of Russian presence. There is a feel of negotiations on this. However, the Polish government will not agree to a permanent presence of third-country military at the base."

Polling Data

What party would you support in the next election?

Civic Platform (PO)	53%
Law and Justice Party (PiS)	24%
Left and Democracy (LiD)	9%
Peasant’s Party (PSL)	6%

Source: SMG/KRC / TVP
Methodology: Interviews to 1,009 Polish adults, conducted from Jan. 25 to 27, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.