In his letter, the Polish ambassador, Arkady Rzegocki, wrote that “the Polish government is constitutionally obliged to hold the presidential election in May” because “Polish law does not provide for election cancellation.”
The letter said: “In this difficult time of the pandemic, the proposed postal vote will enable the whole of Polish society to participate in the election and will ensure constitutional equality for all. Although Mr Dalhuisen mentions the one scenario under which the law allows for elections not to take place, namely the introduction of a state of emergency, he does not refer to the fact that this solution carries with it severe restrictions on civil liberties.”
The letter added: “It is worth adding that recently some EU countries have been criticised by international institutions for doing exactly that. In contrast, the organisation of the election in May derives directly from the Polish constitution, and there are no reasons to introduce a state of emergency at this moment.”
(mk/pk)