WARSAW - Poland holds a first round of elections for nearly 50,000 local officials on Sunday, which the ruling centre-right Civic Platform (PO) views as a test of its support ahead of a parliamentary vote due next year.
Poles will be choosing nearly 47,000 local councillors and close to 2,500 mayors of towns and cities.
In the most prestigious of Sunday’s contests, the PO’s Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz is seeking re-election as mayor of the capital Warsaw against architect Czeslaw Bielecki of the main opposition conservative-nationalistic Law and Justice (PiS) party.
In Poland’s last election in July, Bronislaw Komorowski of the PO won a presidential run-off with 53 percent against Jaroslaw Kaczynski of the PiS with 47 percent. The PO is hoping to increase its parliamentary majority next year.
The second round of municipal elections will be held on Dec. 5.
