Political parties have been left scrambling to find female candidates to stand in this autumn’s general election after President Komorowski signed a new ‘parity law’ last week.

The law requires political parties to have at least 35 percent women, or men, on electoral lists. But the new regulation has created consternation at the offices of the Polish Peasant's Party (PSL), where men are currently over-represented.

“This issue is not so simple,” says PSL party secretary Józef Szczepańczyk, “as up until now have had other ways to compile our electoral lists, without compulsion,” he told the PAP news agency.

About half of the necessary candidates are missing at present, and in an effort to speed the process along, regional PSL leaders have been given until the end of February to submit preliminary lists of candidates to redress the balance.

The Polish People's Party is descended from the pre-war party of the same name, which was allowed to function during communist times. The party won just under 9 percent of the vote in 2007's general elections, entering into a coalition with the Civic Platform (PO). (nh/pg)