Poll: Civic Platform trails opposition; 'New Right' moves into third

The Sejm: photo: sejm.gov.pl / Krzysztof Białoskórski (archive)

The opinion poll by TNS Polska - taken on 23 June, after the Wprost magazine began publishing secretly recorded tapes of ministers, that has led to a scandal which threatens the survival of the government – finds the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party with 31 percent support.

Donald Tusk's centre-right Civic Platform trails on 24 percent.

The anti-EU 'New Right Congress' has moved into third place on 10 percent, after scoring 7.5 percent in May's European parliament elections.

The Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) is on eight percent and the junior coalition partner, Polish Peasants Party (PSL) is on five percent.

No other party would obtain the five percent support nationwide to gain seats in parliament.

Translated into seats, the results of the latest poll would give Law and Justice 198 MPs in the lower house of parliament (Sejm), short of a parliamentary majority, with Civic Platform with 151 seats.

New Right would win 49 seats, SLD 41 and PSL 21.

Fifty one percent of respondents told the TNS Polska pollster that early elections should be called, with 36 percent saying that the Civic Platform-led government should serve its full four year term, ending next autumn.

Speech

Following the detention of one of Poland's richest industrialists on Tuesday in connection with an investigation by the Internal Security agency (ABW) into who is making illegally recorded tapes of Civic Platform ministers, including interior and foreign ministers, Prime Minister Donald Tusk will give a key speech to parliament at 3 pm Wednesday afternoon on the latest developments in the case.

Opposition parties are calling for the resignation of the government and early elections.

Pressure is also building on interior minister Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz to resign, after he was heard on tapes published by the Wprost magazine suggesting possible deals with central bank chief Marek Belka for help for the government in the run up to next year's scheduled general election.

MPs are also calling for the head Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, who is heard on foul-mouthed recording in conversation with former finance minister Jacek Rostowski bemoaning that the “Polish-US alliance is worthless” and how UK prime minister David Cameron “fucked up” his handling of EU negotiations by resorting to “stupid propaganda” to appease eurosceptics in his party. (pg)

Read on:

Tape Affair Scandal