Polish abortion ban law erodes support for right-wing government: Poll

Following a near-total ban on abortion, which resulted in mass protests nationwide, the governing Polish conservatives are losing support from its citizens, AFP reported quoting a survey on Monday.

According to the poll, the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which has been in power since 2015 and was re-elected last year, saw a fall of its backing image by almost 10% points.

Just 30.9 % of respondents now say they support the PiS compared to 40.5% two weeks ago, according to a survey with 1,000 respondents carried out for the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna daily and RMF FM radio.

Meanwhile, the liberal opposition party Civic Coalition (KO) saw a slight rise in support, getting backed by 25.% respondents surveyed on Saturday, as opposed to 23.3% in the last poll.

Ranked third is the new centrist movement Poland 2050, which received 14.7%, up from its previous 9.3%.

According to another opinion survey carried out for the Rzeczpospolita daily, more than 70% of Poles would like Jaroslaw Kaczynski to step down from his position as PiS leader.

Also the deputy premier in charge of security, the 71-year-old is seen as Poland’s true powerbroker.

Analysts believe Kaczynski is behind the October 22 Constitutional Court ruling that would allow abortions only in cases of rape, incest and when the mother’s life is at risk.

Until then, terminations had also been allowed in instances of severe foetal anomalies but the court ruled that was “incompatible” with the constitution.

Defying government orders against mass gatherings during the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people nationwide have been risking coronavirus contagion to voice their anger at the court ruling.

Some 100,000 people protested in Warsaw on Friday alone, according to city hall.

More protests are planned for Monday and the coming week.

On Sunday, the pro-choice activists behind the demonstrations announced their demands for the government, including abortion and LGBT rights, as well as an end to public funding for the Church.

The EU member of 38 million people sees fewer than 2,000 legal abortions every year, according to official statistics.

Women’s groups estimate that an additional 200,000 women abort either illegally or abroad.