'Last chance' - Liberal Poles face a moment of truth

'I want this message to reach everybody in Poland,' said Donald Tusk, speaking to a . rally of supporters, gathered in a cavernous indoor sports arena in the city of Bydgoszcz. 'This is really the last chance.' 

- Shaun Walker

As a vicious, bruising campaign comes to its climax ahead of parliamentary elections on 15 October, Tusk, a veteran of Polish and European politics, has sought to make this point with increasing urgency.

The rally was one stop on a busy campaign trail for Tusk, whose Civic Coalition aims to prevent the nationalist, populist Law and Justice (PiS) government from winning a third term.

Crowds of supporters queued to see Tusk in Bydgoszcz, and at least 2,000 packed the hall to hear him speak, waving Polish flags and applauding. Tusk told them the parliamentary vote would be a referendum - on Poland's future as a state with democratic norms and on its place inside the EU.

"It will be crucial for Poland's future, for the future of our children and grandchildren," he said, to cheers from the loyal audience.

Tusk is perhaps Poland's best-known politician internationally. He was prime minister between 2007 and 2014, when he left to become European Council president. A year later, his party suffered a surprise defeat in elections, with PiS coming to power.

Now, Tusk is back. He has run a slick campaign, designed to counter the stereotype that his is the party of the metropolitan elite. In Bydgoszcz, he referred to himself several times as a "normal person", and talked about his grandchildren. A campaign video shows him boarding his campaign bus with a stack of takeaway pizza boxes for his aides. He is not a great orator, but appears very comfortable on stage and brings the gravitas of experience: he's done the job before, after all.