Opinion polls point to an SLD landslide in Sunday's parliamentary election

All the latest opinion polls point to the left-wing coalition of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) and Labor Union (UP) gaining an overall majority in parliament. The polls suggest that the alliance would gain between 47% and 48% of Sunday's popular vote, enough to give it a commanding 256 seats in the 460-seat Sejm. According to a PBS poll commissioned by Rzeczpospolita, the most sensational outcome of the election is likely to be the 8% of votes achieved by the Samoobrona party of controversial farmers' leader Andrzej Lepper, enough to give it 44 deputies. The governing Solidarity Election Action of the Right (AWSP) is not likely to gain the 8% of popular support required for a coalition to gain a seat in the Sejm. Similarly, Freedom Union (UW) seems unlikely to win the 5% backing needed by a single party to gain representation. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A1; Zycie, p. 1) P.J.