Polish opposition closing in on ruling party in opinion poll
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
15.01.2016 09:28
Poland's centrist Nowoczesna party has emerged just 3 percent behind the governing Law and Justice party in the latest opinion poll.
Ryszard Petru, leader of the Nowoczesna party, in Poland's lower house of parliament. Photo: PAP/Bartłomiej Zborowski
According to the poll, which was carried out by Millward Brown for TVN, the Nowoczesna party would garner 27 percent of the vote if a general election were to be held this month, while Law and Justice (PiS) would win with 30 percent.
Civic Platform, which led a coalition government for 8 years until losing the 25 October general election, would take 14 percent, while its former partner, the Polish People's Party, would manage 2 percent.
During the general election, the socially conservative Law and Justice won a landslide victory, with 37.58 percent of the vote, while newcomer Nowoczesna, led by economist Ryszard Petru, received just 7.6 percent. Civic Platform managed 24.09 percent. Overall turnout was 50.92 percent.
Petru has been a prominent figure in anti-government protests over the last two months, taking the rostrum at demonstrations organised by the Committee for the Defence of Democracy.
Meanwile, the Millward Brown poll indicated that the predominantly right-wing Kukiz'15 party would receive 9 percent of the vote, with little fluctuation from the general election result (8.81 percent). The United Left would take 5 percent, compared with 7.55 percent in the election. The latter, which is a coalition grouping, needs 8 percent to enter parliament.
The poll was carried out on 13 and 14 January. (nh/pk)