WARSAW
: Center-liberal
candidate
Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska of the Civic Platform party was at one point seen as a strong contender, but lost almost all support after she called for a boycott of the
election
held amid the
coronavirus pandemic. Scheduled for last Sunday, the election has been postponed to a date yet to be announced.
On Friday, Kidawa-Blonska encouraged Poles to take part in the vote, saying ``now we have a chance for a free and democratic election.''
Civic Platform is expected Friday to name a new candidate to run against the frontrunner, incumbent President Andrzej Duda, and a few other candidates.
Warsaw Mayor
Rafal Trzaskowski
and former foreign minister
Radoslaw Sikorski
have been mentioned as potential new picks. The new candidate will need to gather at least 100,000 signatures of support in a short time.
Sikorski, a member of the European Parliament, said on Twitter he was ``ready to take part in the democratic rivalry.''
The election was postponed four days before it was due to take place amid coronavirus restrictions and political infighting over how and when to hold the vote. The ruling coalition had pushed for an all-postal vote, but the necessary legislation was not ready on time.
The new date should fall before late July. Prime Minister
Mateusz Morawiecki
has said he would like it to be in June.
Duda, whose term expires Aug. 6, is seeking reelection with the support of the ruling, right-wing Law and Justice party.