Polish president picks October general election date

Polish President Andrzej Duda on Friday said he had picked October 13 as the date of the country’s general election in order to keep the electoral campaign nice and short.

The national electoral commission must still give its stamp of approval, which it is expected to do next week.

“The electoral campaign is never a calm period. By its very nature, it’s always a time of political clashes,” Duda said in an interview with television channel Polsat News.

“I think Poles would like to see as few as possible of these clashes. Hence the earliest possible date. Which is why I proposed October 13 to the electoral commission.”

Duda is an ally of the governing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which has been in power since late 2015.

Campaigning on a platform of generous social spending, PiS appears on track to win a second consecutive term in the general election, according to recent opinion polls.