Since the start of the election silence period, 15 violations have been recorded across the country, most of them online. “Each case is being thoroughly investigated,” said Deputy Commissioner Iwona Kijowska from the National Police Headquarters on Saturday.
The presidential election will take place on Sunday. The election silence began at midnight on Friday and will last until 9 p.m. on Sunday, when voting ends. During this period, it is prohibited to publish polls or campaign for candidates.
Posters that were put up before the election silence began do not need to be removed. However, it is not allowed to drive vehicles covered with campaign posters, although such vehicles may remain parked. Online campaigning is also forbidden. Campaigning inside polling stations is strictly prohibited — this includes displaying symbols, images, signs, or slogans associated with candidates or electoral committees.
During the election silence, publishing poll results is banned. Violating the campaign ban during this period may result in a fine. Publishing polls during the silence period is subject to fines ranging from 500,000 PLN to 1 million PLN. This applies to both pre-election polls predicting voter behavior or election outcomes, as well as exit polls conducted on election day.
The National Electoral Commission emphasizes that only law enforcement authorities and courts have the power to determine whether a particular act constitutes a violation of the election silence. Voters who believe the ban has been broken should report it directly to the police.