Poland presses on with election plans despite coronavirus crisis

Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party has pushed through measures to allow postal voting for people in quarantine in an effort to make sure the presidential election is not postponed amid the coronavirus crisis.
Opposition parties have called for the May 10 election to be postponed. The country has imposed a lockdown until April 11 to slow the spread of the virus. Health experts fear that holding a vote would lead to a spike in coronavirus cases.
As of Sunday, Poland had 1,862 cases and 22 deaths. However, only 7,899 tests had been conducted as of Wednesday, and experts estimate that the real number is several times higher.
The country’s president Andrzej Duda has been accused by the opposition of conducting an unfair political campaign ahead of the election. In recent days, Duda has visited a hospital, a border post and a factory owned by state-controlled refiner PKN Orlen that is now being used to produce hand sanitizer.
The newly pushed amendment will allow all people over 60 and those in self-isolation to vote by post. The elderly will also have the possibility of voting by proxy.
Law and Justice has been facing criticism for its populist policies ever since it came to power in 2015. Duda, a former member of the party, has backed its policies. The party has been known for its EU skepticism.