Despite a high media profile party congress at the weekend, Law and Justice (PiS) has failed to gain an increase in public support, finds a new poll by GfK Polonia.

The ruling Civic Platform (PO) has seen a small increase in its support, by three percent, since the last poll taken two weeks ago, with 53 percent of respondents saying they would vote for Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s party.

Despite being in the media spotlight at the weekend, when leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski announced that there would be changes in the way Law and Justice presented its policies to the nation, the race to become presidential candidate within Civic Platform - between Bronislaw Komorowski and Radek Sikorski - has hijacked the public imagination.

“The decision to hold presidential primaries in has successfully grabbed media attention,” Dr Jacek Kucharczyk, a sociologist from the Institute of Public Affairs, told TVN 24.

The poll by GfK Polonia finds that Law and Justice cannot break through the 27 percent level, 26 points behind the ruling party - a depressing result for them halfway through a term of government.

The Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) increased support by one percent, giving them an eight percent share of the vote, according to the opinion poll.

The junior coalition partner, Polish Peasant’s Party has seen its support decline to four percent, one percent below the election threshold and so would not gain a single MP if elections were held this weekend. (pg)