Polish health minister says presidential vote in two years would be safest option
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Poland’s health minister on Friday urged a delay of the presidential election scheduled for May 10, saying postponing it by two years would be the safest option because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Earlier on Friday the government announced an extension of the closure of schools and kindergartens until May 24, which have been shuttered since mid-March.
Poland was among the first countries in Europe last month to impose strict lockdown measures to contain the outbreak, and has reported relatively few deaths from the COVID-19 respiratory disease that the coronavirus can cause.
The nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government has so far resisted pressure to postpone the election, arguing it can be held via mail-in ballots instead of polling booths to limit any contagion risks among voters and electoral officials.
It was not immediately clear whether Health Minister Lukasz Szumowski’s comments, made to the private Polsat broadcaster, meant PiS had shifted its stance.
Critics have accused PiS of putting political gain ahead of public health in its insistence the vote be held on time. Opinion polls show the incumbent Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, easily winning the vote if it is held next month.
By Friday, the European Union member state of 38 million had reported 10,892 cases and 494 deaths. On Friday the number of deaths increased by 40, the fastest since the start of epidemic in Poland.
