Nearly 700 Polish citizens have already registered to cast their ballot in Oxford during the Polish general election scheduled for Sunday, October 13.

As Polish law does not allow postal or proxy voting (with exception for severely disabled citizens), it is required for voters to visit a polling station if they wish to take part in shaping the country's parliament.

There will be 54 polling stations serving the Polish community in the UK, with one of the largest ones at Oxford's Blackbird Leys Community Centre, where 692 Polish citizens have already registered to cast their ballot.

Read also: Teenagers sentenced for 'posh turf war' attack in Watlington

The effort of organising a polling station for Poles living in Oxfordshire was undertaken by the Oxford Polish Association.

Ewa Gluza, the OPA chairwoman, said: “We do our best to make it as easy as possible for Poles living in Oxfordshire and in the neighbouring counties to cast their ballots in the general election.

“Polish law has been changed recently, and as we do not have postal voting anymore, it is absolutely crucial that there is a solid network of polling stations.

"We did our best to have a polling station in Oxford and now we want to reach everyone to make all Poles aware that they don’t need to travel to London or Birmingham in order to vote.”

Oxford Mail:

Asked why Poles living in the UK should take part in shaping Polish political institutions, she laughed: “In my opinion voting should be mandatory.

"Obviously we are impartial and it does not matter who one supports, but I do not agree that one can just turn a blind eye on any election – here or in Poland.”

Polish citizens have until midnight on October 10 to register for voting abroad. They can register online (ewybory.msz.gov.pl) or through one of the Polish consulates.

Read also: Will KFC open new vegan restaurant in Abingdon?

Poles living abroad are entitled to take part in all the elections except for the local ones. Oxford Poles voted for Polish political parties in European elections in May this year and next year Blackbird Leys Community Cenre will take part in the Polish Presidential election.

The general election shapes the lower and the higher houses of the Polish parliament, named the Sejm and the Senat, for four-year-long terms.

Poles voting abroad vote for lists of candidates in Warsaw and often influence the overall results in the Polish capital.

The upcoming election is considered particularly important, as the ruling Law and Justice party is accused of breaking the constitution, destroying the checks and balances system and damaging the country’s reputation in the European Union.