site.btaTwo Days before European Elections, Warsaw Looks Calm, Half of Poles Intend to Vote

Two days before the June 9 European elections in Poland, the last campaign events are over and the mood in the Polish capital is serene. There is no sign of a vigorous election campaign, unlike in countries in Southern Europe such as Portugal. People are going about their daily tasks and enjoying the good weather.

Even if there is something like campaign fever, on the eve of the vote it obviously does not go beyond the party headquarters and the core voters. It is very difficult to see campaign materials on a façade, a billboard or a vehicle.

It seems a little strange that in a central district of Warsaw there are posters of just one MEP candidate and a few more of another candidate from the same party.

Leaflets are being handed out to passers-by in Warsaw's Old Town, but they are invitations to nearby restaurants offering traditional cuisine.

For someone arriving in Warsaw from the eastern part of Eastern Europe, the Polish capital definitely looks like part of Western Europe - a settled, calm, confident tourist destination for guests from different continents.

The only similarity to Sofia is that repairs are underway in the centre.

In many places there are Ukrainian flags side by side with the Polish flags; there was a flag of the LGBT+ community next to them in the Old Town.

Only half of the Poles said they would cast their votes in an opinion poll commissioned by TV Polsat and conducted earlier this week by the IBRiS polling institute. As IBRiS  said, the Law and Justice party will receive the most votes, the ruling Civic Coalition comes second and the Third Way party is in third place, according to this poll.

IBRiS said that 50.2% of respondents will go to the polls and 49.8% do not intend to vote.

The respondents were asked which party they will vote for. The changes compared to the May 20 IBRiS survey for TV Polsat are minimal:

Law and Justice 30.1% (+0.1 percentage points);

Civic Coalition 29.5% (-1.3 pp);

Third Way 10.7% (+0.6 pp);

Confederation 9.5% (+0.7 pp);

The Left 8% (-0.1 pp);

Nonpartisan Local Government Activists 2% (-0.1 pp);

Don't know 10% (-0,1 pp).