Poland moves to delay presidential election

Poland's ruling party said late Wednesday that it plans to delay the country's presidential election scheduled for Sunday.

In a statement, Jarosław Kaczyński, the head of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party and the country's de facto ruler, said that because of an "anticipated decision by the Supreme Court to invalidate the election ... the speaker of the parliament will announce new presidential elections on the first possible date."

The new election will be held by postal vote due to the coronavirus.

The decision is a significant retreat for Kaczyński, who had pushed hard to hold the election this Sunday, with the incumbent Andrzej Duda, backed by PiS, heavily favored to win.

Pressure to stick to the May 10 date despite the pandemic, a lack of preparation for a postal ballot and legally dubious regulations threatened to splinter the ruling coalition, and increased worries in the EU that Poland was sliding further from the bloc’s democratic rules.