The centrist Civic Coalition, led by the Civic Platform (PO) party, won 34.08 percent of the vote in an election held in the central town of Wieruszów at the weekend to measure voter sentiment ahead of the real ballot, the onet.pl website reported.
Meanwhile, Poland’s ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party was runner-up with 32.32 percent support.
The Third Way coalition of the rural-based Polish People’s Party (PSL) and the centre-right Poland 2050 grouping finished third with 11.94 percent in the test election in Wieruszów on Sunday.
The far-right Confederation group was fourth with 6.64 percent, and the New Left party came in fifth with 6.35 percent.
Residents in Wieruszów and the surrounding area were asked to cast their votes in a polling station to support one of the groups that will be contesting the real parliamentary elections next month.
Voters were asked to state their support for a party, not specific candidates.
In total, just over 2,000 votes were cast in the mock election, with turnout at 19.27 percent, the wpolityce.pl news website reported.
Sunday’s mock election in Wieruszów drew from a tradition that was started in 1997. This district of around 14,000 residents is considered to be a good model of voter preferences nationwide.
Mock elections held in the town over the years have usually mirrored the returns later in national parliamentary, presidential and European elections, according to a report by state news agency PAP.
The difference between the mock and real results has often been within the margin of statistical error, according to the PAP news agency.
Poles will head to the ballot box to vote in parliamentary elections on October 15.
They will elect 460 new MPs and 100 senators for a four-year term.
With election day less a month away, the country’s ruling conservatives appear to be running ahead of an opposition divided into separate blocs, according to the latest polls.
The governing conservative Law and Justice party, allied with several smaller groupings in a United Right coalition, is seeking a third term in power after a landslide win in 2015 and a convincing victory in 2019.
Eighty-three percent of respondents to a recent survey said they intended to vote in the upcoming ballot.
(gs)
Source: Polsat News, onet.pl, wpolityce.pl, PAP
