WARSAW (AP) – Three opposition parties that vowed to restore democratic standards in Poland together won over 54 per cent of the votes in the nation’s weekend parliamentary election, putting them in a position to take power, according to a complete ballot count reported yesterday.
The conservative Law and Justice party, which has governed the country for eight turbulent years, won slightly over 35 per cent of the votes, making it the single party with the most votes. But the party and its leader Jarosław Kaczyński lost their majority in Parliament and appeared to have no way to hold onto power.
The official ballot announced by the National Electoral Commission aligns closely with an exit poll released after voting ended on Sunday.
Turnout was nearly 75 per cent, a record that surpassed the 63 per cent turnout of 1989, a vote that triggered the collapse of the Soviet-backed communist system.
Law and Justice had been taking the country on an illiberal path, taking control of courts in a manner that violated the country’s constitution.
The party politicised state institutions, including taxpayer-funded public media which it used as a crude propaganda tool to praise itself and vilify opponents.
The result was a huge victory for Donald Tusk, the head of the largest opposition group, Civic Coalition. He appeared likely to return to his past role as Polish prime minister, a job he held from 2007-14. He also served as the European Council president, a top job in the bloc, from 2014-19.
