Polish elections: When are they and why is Europe watching closely?

Poles will vote next Sunday in what opposition leader Donald Tusk has billed as their "most important election since 1989 and the fall of communism".

The populist, right-wing United Right coalition, led by the Law and Justice party is seeking a third term in office, unprecedented in Poland since 1989.

But after an intensely bitter election campaign, the gap between the right and centre has narrowed, ahead of the 15 October vote for the Sejm (lower house of parliament) and the Senate.

Poland has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began, but relations have frayed during the campaign over a Polish ban on Ukrainian grain.

Warsaw has also pursued a confrontational approach towards the EU and been accused of undermining democratic standards. "We are not afraid of diktats... from Berlin and Brussels," says Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.