“We can’t say that we are postponing elections just because for some reason we think that this should be done. There must be constitutional premises,” Jarosław Kaczyński said in an interview with private radio broadcaster RMF FM.
Poland’s presidential elections are due to take place on May 10, with a potential second round scheduled for May 24.
Opposition politicians have called for the ballot to be postponed, arguing that the outbreak of the coronavirus has hampered election campaigning.
They also claim that holding the elections in May would give incumbent President Andrzej Duda an unfair advantage because Polish media outlets regularly highlight his efforts to combat the coronavirus epidemic.
But Kaczyński told RMF FM that Duda has lost out most amid restrictions on large public gatherings in Poland. No one draws people to meetings like Duda, Kaczyński said.
In a move to contain the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic, the government has banned public gatherings of more than 50 people.
According to the Super Express tabloid, a survey has found that 70 percent of Poles believe the country’s presidential elections should be postponed. Meanwhile, 12 percent opposed such a move and 18 percent did not voice an opinion, the newspaper reported.
A total of 439 people have tested positive for the Covid-19 disease in Poland, with five deaths from the coronavirus so far, officials said on Saturday.
The first infection was confirmed by Polish authorities on March 4, while the country's first coronavirus fatality was announced on March 12.
(pk)
Source: rmf24.pl