A plurality of Poles want to participate in the referendum planned on the date of the parliamentary election, Oct. 15, according to a new poll from UCE Research on behalf of Polish news outlet Onet.pl.
The polling firm indicates that 48 percent of interviewees said that they want to vote in the referendum, which features four key questions on Poland’s future, whereas 37.5 percent said they would not participate. This means that significant numbers of those who support opposition parties intend to vote in the referendum.
According to Polish law, for a referendum to be binding, 50 percent of the voters should participate. Therefore, the turnout projected by the poll is close to that level. Those most inclined to participate in the referendum are young voters. Also, nearly 80 percent of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) voters intend to participate, as do two-thirds of voters who support the Polish People’s Party (PSL) and 63 percent of Confederation’s supporters.
The only group that is strongly determined to boycott the referendum are supporters of Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform (PO), with 65 percent of those voters saying they will not participate.
As for the individual questions in the referendum, 20 percent intend to vote for privatization, while 64 percent are against it. On increasing the age of retirement, 22 percent are for and 68 percent against. Only 13.5 percent are in favor of dismantling the wall on the border with Belarus, with 73 percent against this measure; lastly, 19 percent support the EU migration pact, and 69 percent are opposed.
All these issues are uncomfortable for the main opposition led by Donald Tusk, who has a record of privatizing state assets; raising the retirement age, which the present ruling party has brought down; supporting EU migrant policies; and questioning the need for the construction of the wall on the border with Belarus.
