The September 6 referendum was ordered by former President Bronislaw Komorowski after the first round of elections held in May, which he lost to incumbent Andrzej Duda.
The first of three questions on the referendum concerns the method of financing political parties, which are publicly funded under the current rules.
Mateusz Piskorski, chairman of a newly formed Change party, told Sputnik earlier this week that ending public funding would serve the interests of dominant parties because only they have the clout to make deals with big business.
Piskorski explained that there are essentially two models political parties adopt in generating funds. The Anglo-Saxon model sets virtually no limits on party financing, leading to a situation where politicians represent the interests of major donors. The second system, inherent to members of the European Union, stipulates that political parties should be funded from the state budget.
The second question on the referendum asks whether the Poles want to introduce single-seat constituencies in elections for the lower house of parliament, the Sejm.
According to Piskorski, the change would once again benefit large political parties and leave little room for smaller parties to develop.
The third question is about the introduction of a general principle to resolve disputes over tax law.
The turnout at the referendum is not expected to be large.
Janusz Korwin-Mikke, the leader of the Coalition for the Restoration of Freedom and Hope to the Republic (KORWiN) party explained that the idea of the referendum was Komorowski’s last-ditch attempt to gain support in the May presidential race.
"The problem is that Polish President Komorowski just invented this referendum at the last moment, when he learned about the result of the first round of the elections, because he thought it would bring him more votes," Korwin-Mikke told Sputnik.
Piskorski said that the referendum is a "somewhat dead initiative" as it is not supported by incumbent President Duda.
On October 25, Polish voters will go to the polls to elect members to both houses – the Senate and the Sejm.
