The number of Polish voters registered abroad has surpassed 608,000 and is the highest ever, Polish state news agency PAP reported on Friday.
For the 2019 parliamentary elections, the figure was around 314,000, according to officials.
For the purposes of the 2023 ballot, which will be combined with a nationwide referendum, authorities have established 417 polling stations abroad, the PAP news agency reported.
On Wednesday, the Polish foreign ministry said the government would cancel absentee voting in Tel Aviv due to ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Voters abroad will vote for candidates running for seats in the lower and upper houses of Poland's bicameral parliament, the PAP news agency reported.
The first to cast their ballots will be Poles in the Western hemisphere, officials told reporters.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said: “In the countries of South America, as well as the United States and Canada, the elections will be held on Saturday so that all voting can conclude on Sunday evening Polish time.”
The largest number of polling stations has been established in Britain, at 77, followed by the United States, with 52, and Germany, with 47, the PAP news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the biggest number of voters has registered in London, followed by Berlin, Munich, Dublin and the Hague, officials said.
A record 4,000 voters have registered to vote at a polling station in the Norwegian city of Stavanger, the PAP news agency reported.
Poland to elect new parliament on October 15
Poles will head to the ballot box to vote in parliamentary elections on Sunday. They will elect 460 MPs and 100 senators for a four-year term.
Seeking a third term in power, the governing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party appears to be running ahead of an opposition divided into separate blocs.
But if they win the election, the governing conservatives may not be able to form a majority in parliament on their own, according to the latest polls.
Poles to vote in referendum
In August, Poland's lawmakers approved a plan to combine parliamentary elections with a nationwide referendum asking Poles whether their country should accept migrants from the Middle East and Africa, whether state companies can be sold to foreign buyers, whether the retirement age should be increased, and whether a wall on Poland's border with Belarus should be dismantled.
The ruling conservatives have encouraged people to cast their ballots in the referendum, while the opposition has asked voters to boycott it, saying the referendum questions are worded in a biased way and contain misleading information designed to boost support for the government.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, State Electoral Commission PKW
