Last Thursday, the lower house of the Polish parliament voted to change the date of local elections, which were initially scheduled for autumn 2023. The local elections will eventually be held on 30 April 2024.

The initiative was proposed by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which managed to gather a narrow majority for voting on the bill despite vivid criticism from the opposition. 

https://twitter.com/RMF24pl/status/1575485945255559171?s=20&t=KxY1NWCZx7hm8nTW9bJQQQ

On the one hand, PiS and its allies argue that such an update will facilitate the organisational process, as parliamentary elections are also to be held in autumn next year. On the other hand, the opposition disregarded the proposition as merely an electoral move by the ruling majority in the hope of getting better electoral results. 

With just one year left until the end of the current legislature, PiS still leads in the polls with around 30% of the votes, which remains a good score despite the fact that the percentage of support has been shrinking in the last weeks. Such a result would mean victory for PiS, but also the need to once again create a coalition. 

For the time being, the upcoming elections in Poland are to take place as follows: parliamentary elections in autumn 2023, local election on 30 April 2024, shortly followed or preceded by elections for the European Parliament. Presidential elections are still scheduled for the spring of 2025.  

Image: Twitter (@KancelariaSejmu)

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen