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Poland Divided Over Having Presidential Vote During Pandemic

Associated Press

   WARSAW, POLAND - Poland's parliament is preparing to vote Friday on
   legislation that would transform the country's May presidential
   election entirely into a mail-in ballot due to the health risks of
   having public voting stations during the coronavirus pandemic.

   The proposal by the populist ruling Law and Justice party to go forward
   with the May 10 election is controversial.

   Opposition candidates say having the election during the pandemic is
   undemocratic and it should be postponed. They argue that opposition
   presidential candidates stand no chance against conservative President
   Andrzej Duda because they cannot campaign due to a strict ban on
   gatherings. Duda, meanwhile, still profits from heavy coverage on state
   media.

   Critically, even one faction in the ruling coalition is strongly
   opposed to holding the vote, raising speculation in Poland that Prime
   Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's government could be toppled by the
   crisis.

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