“We will hold parliamentary elections on October 15,” President Andrzej Duda announced on social media on Tuesday. In these elections, the Polish citizens will elect 460 members of the parliament and 100 senators for a four-year term.
Based on the recently received positive opinion from the National Electoral Commission regarding the proposed election date for the Sejm (lower house) and the Senate, I have decided to schedule these elections for October 15, 2023,” said in the statement Duda.
The President emphasized that the future of Poland is a matter for each and every one of us. “Exercise your rights!” he urged the voters.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Chairman of the National Electoral Commission, Sylwester Marciniak, informed that the opinion of the NEC on the President’s draft decree regarding the election schedule had been sent back to the Presidential Office.
After the President’s decision on election schedule is published in the Journal of Laws, no later than the fifth day following the decision, the election campaign will officially begin.
2023 Parliamentary Elections in Poland
Parliamentary elections in Poland are held every four years, with the most recent one taking place on October 13, 2019. These elections determine the composition of the Sejm (lower house) with 460 members and the Senate with 100 senators. The National Electoral Commission (NEC) is responsible for organizing and overseeing the voting process.
The current parliamentary term will end on November 12.
According to the constitution, voting must be organized on a non-working day, falling within 30 days before the expiration of the four-year term of the Sejm and the Senate. Therefore, there were four possible dates: October 15, 22, 29 or November 5.
Once the elections are announced, uncontrolled campaigning, especially in terms of finances, will cease. Until now, the National Electoral Commission had no ability to verify how politicians conduct their campaigns, particularly regarding funding for their trips and conventions.
Along with the election date announcement, the President will provide a schedule with deadlines for registering electoral committees, submitting candidate nominations, and collecting signatures for party lists.
