Campaigning for the next general election in Poland has kicked off after President Andrzej Duda on August 6 issued an official decision setting polling day as October 13.

According to Polish laws, the next general election in Poland must be held between October 13 and November 10. Duda’s picking of the earliest possible date favours the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, looking to win another four-year term as it seeks to capitalise on the booming economy and generous social transfers, and the stoking of fears over "LGBT ideology" among its national-conservative voter base.

The choice of October 13 also makes it more difficult for the smaller parties to organise their campaigns. Parties will have barely over a month to meet formal requirements in order to be able to run candidates, and just over two months for campaigning. 

That has pushed some political groups into strategic alliances to ease the strain of what will be a very short and fast campaign. The anti-establishment Kukiz'15, for example, is running with the agrarian conservatives from PSL after the latter’s talks with the main opposition party, Civic Platform (PO), collapsed earlier this summer.

Similarly, the feuding left and left-of-centre groups overcame differences to form a single platform for the election. The post-communist SLD, the more radical Razem (Together) and the centre-left Wiosna (Spring) will run simply as Lewica (Left).

Current polls give the populist PiS a clear edge over opposition parties. The ruling party regularly polls at over 40%, while the Civic Coalition – led by PO – is shown with 30% support. The Left can count on around 10% of the vote.

Other parties are teetering on the brink of the 5% threshold needed to win any seats in parliament.