The names were announced by Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, in Warsaw on Thursday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will head the party’s list of candidates in the southern city of Katowice, Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau will top the list in the central city of Łódź, and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak will be the party’s key candidate in the Warsaw area.
Meanwhile, Kaczyński himself will be the party’s top candidate in the east-central city of Kielce, Family and Social Policy Minister Marlena Maląg will top the party's ticket in the western city of Kalisz, while Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński will be number one in the eastern city of Chełm near the borders with Ukraine and Belarus.
Kaczyński, who is Poland’s deputy prime minister, told reporters that the candidates represented various backgrounds, age brackets and social groups.
He stated: “Law and Justice represents the full cross-section of Polish society ... as we work to ensure that our homeland develops fast and in a fair way and that it can catch up with the wealthy countries of western Europe.”
Poland's lawmakers this month approved a government plan to combine parliamentary elections on October 15 with a nationwide referendum on issues including illegal migration.
In the parliamentary elections, Poles will head to the ballot box to elect 460 new MPs and 100 senators for a four-year term.
The conservative Law and Justice party has maintained a clear lead over the opposition in most recent surveys, polling ahead of the centrist Civic Coalition (KO) and the far-right Confederation group.
The ruling conservatives in 2019 won a convincing victory over opposition parties at the ballot box, securing a second term in power.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP
