Opposition march will show belief in election victory says Warsaw mayor

Rafał Trzaskowski, the Warsaw mayor and a senior member of Poland’s political opposition, has appealed to Poles to join a march in the Polish capital on October 1 in order to show their belief in victory in the upcoming general election.

Poland goes to the polls on October 15 for elections for both houses of parliament.

The rally, dubbed the 'March of a Million Hearts,' has been called for by Donald Tusk, the head of the main opposition grouping Civic Coalition (KO), which is led by his Civic Platform (PO) party, and is expected to bring tens of thousands on to the capital's streets.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Trzaskowski, a deputy leader of PO, called for people to attend the demonstration.

"We invite everyone to the 'March of a Million Hearts' this coming Sunday. We want to show full mobilisation, we want to show our belief in victory. Let's be together in Warsaw that day," he said.

He added that "KO's (election - PAP) list in Warsaw is extremely strong and diverse, with more women than men."

Trzaskowski also said that "the last few years have been difficult for Warsaw" because over PLN 9 billion (EUR 1.95 billion) has been taken away from the city's budget by the ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS).

"PiS... has waged a war on local government, that is, in fact, a war on the people of Warsaw... by taking away this money," he said.