Tomorrow’s senate by-election in the krosniensko-przemyski district in the Podkarpacie region in south-western Poland has turned into a popularity test for Poland's political parties.
After the death of a Law and Justice (PiS) senator Andrzej Mazurkiewicz 12 March a by-election had to be scheduled to choose the person to replace him.
The election has meanwhile turned into a popularity competition mostly between the ruling Civic Platform (PO) party wishing to establish its lead over the opposition and Law and Justice (PiS) wanting to end PO's streak of successes.
The campaign which preceded the election was extremely intensive. Poland's most prominent politicians visited Podkarpacie including President Lech Kaczynski, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Bronislaw Komorowski, speaker of the lower chamber of the Polish parliament, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, former prime minister and head of PiS, as well as the Democratic Left alliance (SLD) leaders, Grzegorz Napieralski and Wojciech Olejniczak.
Twelve politicians are running for the post including Stanislaw Zajac (PiS), Maciej Lewicki (PO), Andrzej Lepper (Self-defence), and the entrepreneur from Krosno, Waclaw Posadzki (SLD). (mn)