Poland votes in an election to determine whether the conservative nationalist party remains in power

Poland was choosing Sunday between its ruling party and a coalition of opposition groups. The groups accuse the conservative nationalists of eroding the country’s 34-year-old democratic system. Many Poles feel it is the most important election since 1989 when a new democracy was born after decades of communism. Supporters of the ruling Law and Justice party say they appreciate its defense of Catholic traditions and its spending on retirees and families with children in the Central European nation of 38 million. But Law and Justice has also eroded checks and balances to gain more control over state institutions.