In Poland, polling stations for the parliamentary elections were opened, and the referendum also began. Voting will last from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Kyiv time, Wyborcza newspaper writes.
In parliamentary elections, Polish citizens elect 460 deputies to the Sejm (the lower house of parliament) and 100 senators to the Senate (the upper house). More than 29 million Poles have the right to vote in the elections.
Voters will also receive a referendum card where they will be asked to answer questions about supporting the sale of state assets to foreign entities, raising the retirement age, dismantling the fence on the border between Poland and Belarus, and admitting migrants from the Middle East and Africa.
Meanwhile, in the USA, the elections for the Poles have already ended. The last polling stations in the USA closed at 7 am Kyiv time — in Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. In general, a record number of over 48,000 Poles voted in the States.
The pro-government party "Law and Justice", the opposition "Civil Coalition", the liberal "Third Way", the pro-European "New Left" and one openly anti-Ukrainian "Confederation" registered for the elections to the Seimas.
What awaits Ukraine after the elections in Poland
Future Polish-Ukrainian relations and Polandʼs support for Ukraine depend on the results of the Polesʼ election. For example, "Law and Justice" led by Yaroslav Kaczynski is interested in supporting Ukraine, while "Confederation" opposes supporting Ukrainian refugees and promises to stop "unfair competition" with Ukrainian farmers.
The leader of the "Civil Coalition" Donald Tusk stated that Warsaw is interested in the victory of Ukraine, and the disputes between the countries arose due to the improper strategies of Polish-Ukrainian relations in the current government. At the same time, the "Third Way" coalition calls for improving Polish-Ukrainian relations, supports Ukraineʼs membership in the EU and aid to the country, but also intends to fight against the influx of Ukrainian grain.
The "New Left" supports Ukraineʼs accession to the EU and advocates the transfer of weapons, the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and the cancellation of its foreign debt.
In any scenario — whether the party wins independently or coalitions are formed — all issues between Ukraine and Poland will be brought up for discussion, but it is not yet known how easily they will be resolved.