The European Commission is concerned about Poland’s upcoming presidential election, fearing the ballot may be compromised, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said on Thursday.

“If the presidential election goes ahead under the current circumstances, it may fall short of a number of international standards,’’ Reynders said during a European Parliament committee sitting, citing a statement from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Poland’s presidential ballot is set for May 10.

The governing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party wants to hold a nationwide postal vote in view of the novel coronavirus pandemic, but the opposition is calling for declaring a state of natural disaster, which would automatically postpone the election.

The country’s electoral code does not provide for a nationwide postal vote and a bill that would change that is currently being debated in the Senate. It could take effect only days before the vote.

“Amending the electoral code so close to the election runs counter to the guidelines of the Venice Commission, which recommends such changes be implemented no later than one year ahead of a vote.

“Also, campaigning is close to impossible at present,” Reynders noted.

While it is up to EU member states to decide whether to hold an election during a pandemic, “any such decision must be consistent with member states’ obligations under international law and with their constitutional arrangement to guarantee free and fair elections,’’ Reynders added.

The commissioner’s comments were criticized by Poland’s deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski.

“Anyone who expects that Poland will postpone the election in fact expects Poland to introduce a state of emergency,’’ Jablonski said in comments to the PAP news agency.

“That would be surprising, especially as commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, recently stressed that a state of emergency should be introduced only in exceptional situations.

A situation in which one state is criticized for infringing on EU rules for introducing a state of emergency and another for not introducing it would risk ridiculing the EU,” Jablonski said in an apparent reference to the EU’s recent criticism of Hungary’s COVID-19 emergency legislation.

PiS-backed incumbent Andrzej Duda has recently extended his lead in opinion polls ahead of the presidential ballot.

Duda can now expect to secure 59 percent of the vote, according to a poll published by Kantar on Thursday.

Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska, until recently a clear second in the polls, enjoys the support of just 4 percent of respondents.

Kidawa-Blonska had earlier called for boycotting the election if PiS pushes for a May vote.

Poland has so far recorded 10,346 cases of the novel coronavirus and 435 virus-related fatalities.