The latest opinion polls in Poland have left the left-leaning Gazeta Wyborcza daily in disbelief, as the Law and Justice Party (PiS) emerges once again as the poll leader. This development comes despite adverse reports concerning the misuse of the Justice Fund by politicians from Sovereign Poland, a junior coalition partner of PiS in the United Right government.
According to a poll conducted by Opinion24 for the liberal TVN24 news channel, PiS has now overtaken the Civic Coalition (KO).
If parliamentary elections were to be held next Sunday, PiS would receive 29.8 percent of the vote, just slightly ahead of the KO, which would secure 29.7 percent. The Confederation and the Third Way are behind with 11.6 percent and 11.2 percent, respectively, while the Left enjoys support from 8.3 percent of respondents.
This marks a noticeable difference from the previous Opinion24 poll for TVN24 in April, where the Civic Coalition had 33.8 percent of the vote, compared to PiS’ 26.4 percent.
The poll further shows that 78 percent of surveyed participants indicated they would vote, with 53 percent saying “definitely yes” and 25 percent saying “probably yes.” Another 18 percent of respondents chose “no,” with 8 percent “probably not” and 10 percent “definitely not.” Four percent were undecided.
The poll followed the exposure of recordings by Tomasz Mraz, a former official in the Ministry of Justice, who for two years secretly recorded ministers from Sovereign Poland. Mraz is involved in an investigation concerning the wrongful distribution of multimillion grants from the Justice Fund and is referred to as the “main witness,” who is “exposing his former colleagues.”
Zbigniew Ziobro, a former justice minister, and his team from Sovereign Poland had long managed the Ministry of Justice and the Justice Fund itself, which the current government-controlled prosecution took over a few months ago. Prosecutors allege that €66 million in a special fund may have been misused under the former justice minister.
