Poles get ready for parliamentary vote

Final preparations are underway as Poland gets ready to vote in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. After four years of corruption and high unemployment under the Democratic Left Alliance, its poised for a swing to the right.

The pro-reform Law and Justice party has taken a slight lead in the polls over its more conservative ally, Civic Platform. That was good news for Law and Justice co-leader Jaroslav Kacnynski, who with his twin brother and presidential candidate Lech has campaigned on a return to the values of the Solidarity movement which toppled Communism. Their likely coalition partner, the Civic Platform party led by Jan Rokita, wants even bolder reform, including a 15 percent flat tax rate. Trailing is the Democrat Left Alliance, whose support has dwindled amid high unemployment and a number of corruption scandals. Polling with just eight per cent of the vote, its leader faces an uphill struggle to win over a skeptical Polish electorate. Current president Aleksander Kwasniewski is barred under Polish law from seeking a third term in presidential elections scheduled in just over two weeks’ time. As for the parliamentary vote, high voter apathy means turnout is expected to be low.

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