Referendum will bind future governments says presidential advisor

A senior advisor to the Polish president has said that no Polish government will be able to ignore the results of a referendum due to be held on October 15, the same day of the general election.

The four-question referendum will cover a proposed EU migrant relocation scheme, the sale of state assets, the future of a fence on the Polish-Belarusian border and the retirement age.

Talking to the state-owned broadcaster Polish Radio on Friday, Marcin Przydacz, the head of the Polish president's International Policy Bureau, said that the referendum was a reflection of "the constitutional right of a nation to implement politics directly," adding that "the Polish nation has the right to express its opinion on key matters."

"No Polish government will be able to ignore the decisions that Poles will make at the polls on October 15, no matter what the puzzle resembles, these decisions will have to be taken into account," said Przydacz.

The referendum has become an early source of contention between the government and opposition parties as Poland prepares for October's election.

The government has defended its decision to organise a referendum, saying that Poles have the right to express their opinions on key issues.

But the opposition has dismissed it a piece of electioneering, and questioned why the referendum fails to include questions on issues such as abortion, which have caused huge public protests in recent years.