Poles vote in a regional election on Sunday with gains expected for the ruling eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party, whose nationalist rhetoric and institutional reforms have fueled a deepening rift with the European Union.
PiS swept into power in 2015 on a promise of voter-pleasing welfare bumps, social conservatism and more state say in the economy. The party remains broadly popular, despite accusations at home and abroad of a shift toward authoritarian rule.
The presidential candidate of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) poses for a picture with passersby outside a subway station in central Warsaw, Poland, May 25, 2015. /VCG Photo
The election is part of a larger struggle over Europe's future, as Brexit and Hungary's Viktor Orban, a PiS ally, shake up the European Union and right-wing parties make gains across the continent.
While it dominates national politics, PiS controls a small minority of city halls, and has a majority in only one provincial assembly out of 16.
If successful in gaining seats, PiS will have better access to local funding, a factor which could affect parliamentary elections in 2019. It will also have more influence over schools
“Dear citizens, if you want more money to reach here for infrastructure and industry, then vote for PiS candidates,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told voters during a rally in Kielce in southern Poland on October 13.
Opinion polls show PiS could win 33-37 percent of votes for provincial assembly members. A coalition of centrist opposition parties, the Civic Platform and Nowoczesna, is forecast to capture about 24 percent of the vote. Post-election coalitions could affect how many assemblies PiS will control.
The Town Hall and headquarter of the mayor of Warsaw is seen in Warsaw, September 25, 2018. /VCG Photo
The centrist candidate for Warsaw mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski, 46, is seen winning 41-42 percent of vote on Sunday, and securing the office in a second round of voting on Nov. 4, beating PiS' Patryk Jaki, 33.
A spike in PiS support in cities, traditionally centrist strongholds, would show its brand of populism gaining broader appeal and would be a major upset for the Civic Platform, the home party of European Council President Donald Tusk.
A good result for PiS would add to concerns in Brussels ahead of European Parliament elections in May by boosting eurosceptic groups that oppose efforts at closer EU integration.
A supporter of Patryk Jaki (PiS) holds a banner during an election meeting in Warsaw, Poland, September 19, 2018. /VCG PHoto
Throughout his campaign, Warsaw's mayoral candidate Jaki said he sides with ordinary people against what he describes as an arrogant Civic Platform municipal elite.
Trzaskowski, a long-time EU emissary for his party, says he wants his native Warsaw to remain “open, tolerant and European.”
Voting starts at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and ends at 9 p.m., exit poll results are expected shortly afterward.
(Cover: Rafal Trzaskowski (L) and Patryk Jaki (R), two main candidates for mayor of Warsaw in a local election /VCG Photo）