Poland is scheduled to hold a presidential election in just four days but nobody can say whether it will happen or not.

Sunday’s election date was was set months ago but preparations have been thrown into disarray by the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown Poland is under to control the spread of the virus. Bitter fighting between the ruling conservative party and its opponents is preventing the sides from coming together to find an alternative.

Plans for the vote are in chaos. Proposed legislation regulating it is still in parliament, with no guarantee that it will pass. A government official in charge of the vote acknowledges that the election cannot be pulled off Sunday — but it has not been officially postponed, either.

File - In this file photo taken Feb. 15, 2020, in Warsaw, Poland are seen Poland's President Andrzej Duda, right, with wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda, campaigning for Duda's re-election in May 10 national vote. The Polish government’s determination to move forward with the May 10, presidential election during the coronavirus pandemic by making it an all-postal vote, though critics say the plan threatens public health and democracy in Poland. (AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski)

File - In this file photo taken Feb. 15, 2020, in Warsaw, Poland are seen Poland's President Andrzej Duda, right, with wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda, campaigning for Duda's re-election in May 10 national vote. The Polish government’s determination to move forward with the May 10, presidential election during the coronavirus pandemic by making it an all-postal vote, though critics say the plan threatens public health and democracy in Poland. (AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski)

The ruling party on Wednesday was setting the stage for a two-week postponement of the election with the top court's permission.

Up to now, the ruling Law and Justice party has been pushing to stick to schedule — holding a vote Sunday with runoff on May 24 if necessary — by making it a postal vote. Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski insists the constitution requires the vote be held in May. But he also acknowledges the party fears its candidate, President Andrzej Duda, the front-runner in opinion polls, could be weakened later when the economic pain of the pandemic lockdown hits the now-robust Polish economy.

Opposition parties are against holding the vote now and want the government to declare a state of emergency to create a legal way to postpone the vote by three months. They note that, under the lockdown, their candidates have not been able to campaign in any normal fashion but Duda is constantly on state television amid the government's virus-fighting efforts.

FILE - In this file photo taken April 16, 2020 is seen Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, upper right, and the head of Poland's ruling part Jaroslaw Kaczynski, center, wearing faced masks to protect against coronavirus, in parliament in Warsaw, Poland. Morawiecki said Wednesday, April 29, 2020 that Poland's presidential election scheduled May 10 could be postponed by a week or two but must be held despite the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the requirements of the constitution. (AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski, File)

FILE - In this file photo taken April 16, 2020 is seen Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, upper right, and the head of Poland's ruling part Jaroslaw Kaczynski, center, wearing faced masks to protect against coronavirus, in parliament in Warsaw, Poland. Morawiecki said Wednesday, April 29, 2020 that Poland's presidential election scheduled May 10 could be postponed by a week or two but must be held despite the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the requirements of the constitution. (AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski, File)

All of Poland's living ex-presidents and several former prime ministers plan to boycott what they called a “pseudo-election.”

Donald Tusk, former Polish prime minister and former top European Union leader, likened the political situation to autocratic Belarus. He said Tuesday on Twitter there used to be a joke there that “you never knew if or when elections will take place, but you always knew who will win.”

International democracy watchdogs have also voiced concerns, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

In this photo taken April 23, 2020, an unusual sight of a mailbox on church grounds at St. Stanislas Kostka church, the parish church of Poland's ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, in Warsaw, Poland, who wants to go ahead with a postal vote for the presidential election despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The Polish government’s determination to move forward with the May 10, presidential election during the coronavirus pandemic by making it an all-postal vote is creating anxiety and anger, and critics say the plan threatens public health and democracy in Poland.(AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski)

In this photo taken April 23, 2020, an unusual sight of a mailbox on church grounds at St. Stanislas Kostka church, the parish church of Poland's ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, in Warsaw, Poland, who wants to go ahead with a postal vote for the presidential election despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The Polish government’s determination to move forward with the May 10, presidential election during the coronavirus pandemic by making it an all-postal vote is creating anxiety and anger, and critics say the plan threatens public health and democracy in Poland.(AP PhotoCzarek Sokolowski)

“For democratic elections, it’s crucial that there is an open debate and genuine campaigning,” said Katya Andrusz, spokeswoman for the OSCE’s Warsaw-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

Many Poles say they plan to boycott a vote they don’t trust will be anonymous or fair. Under the current plan, 30 million registered voters would receive ballots in their home mailboxes and then on Sunday drop them in voting boxes set up in their neighborhoods.

Reports of ballots having been posted online or even lying in a street only added to the general distrust in the postal vote.

Weeks ago, Law and Justice proposed holding the election exclusively by mail, regarding that as a safe option during the pandemic. But that required creating new legislation to regulate the all-postal election.

The law passed the lower house of parliament in early April, but was rejected Tuesday by the opposition-controlled Senate. Now, the legislation returns to the lower house for a final vote, possibly on Wednesday. The outcome of the vote is not certain.

A government official in charge of organizing the postal vote, Jacek Sasin, said Monday that the schedule leaves too little time for 30 million ballots to be delivered by Sunday.

Illustrating the chaos, Parliament Speaker Elzbieta Witek, the official in charge of naming election dates, is seeking the constitutional court's consent for a postponement till May 23, but also asked the State Electoral Commission if it could organize the presidential vote on Sunday.

The commission head, Sylwester Marciniak, replied Tuesday night it was “impossible for legal and organizational reasons,” the PAP news agency said.

Complicating matters further, one small party in the conservative governing coalition is divided on the issue, with some of its members favoring a postponement. That creates the risk that the ruling party could lose its slim parliamentary majority.

Analysts see an advantage in postponing the election to May 17 or May 23, which would be the latest date possible under a constitutionally dictated schedule based on Duda's five-year term expiring on Aug. 6.

There's been speculation that if Law and Justice loses its parliamentary majority, it could declare a state of emergency, dissolve the government and trigger new parliamentary and presidential elections for August.

But Law and Justice lawmaker and spokesman, Radoslaw Fogiel insists that under the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, the party is trying to “solve the problems, rather than look for them.”

Video journalist Rafal Niedzielski contributed to this report.