According to forecasts, the PiS, which has been in power in Poland for eight years, has also become the strongest party in the parliamentary elections on Sunday. But the opposition sees opportunities for a change of power.
According to forecasts, after the parliamentary elections in Poland, the national conservatives will remain the strongest political force – but three opposition parties could still form the new government.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party received 36.8 percent of the vote, according to post-election surveys by the polling institute Ipsos. The second strongest force with 31.6 percent was the opposition liberal-conservative Citizens’ Coalition (KO) of former Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The forecasts predicted that PiS would gain 200 seats in the new parliament. The majority is 231 of the 460 mandates. The only possible coalition partner is the ultra-right Konfederacja, which, according to forecasts, will not be enough for a government majority either. The final election result will probably not be known until Tuesday.
According to forecasts, the opposition Citizens’ Coalition (KO) would get 163 mandates. It could form a coalition with the Christian-conservative Third Way (13 percent) and the left-wing alliance Lewica (8.6 percent). The three-party alliance would have 248 members and a majority in parliament.
A lengthy government formation is expected
Opposition leader Donald Tusk saw himself as the winner that evening: “I’ve never been so happy about second place. Poland won, democracy won, that’s the end of the PiS government,” he said on election evening. PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said they were waiting to see how events unfolded.
The foreign policy spokesman for the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Jürgen Hardt (CDU), said that the election results in Poland show “that we cannot win elections among our neighbors with hostility to Germany and Europe. The people in Poland are among the big winners in the European elections Agreement and don’t let yourself be persuaded otherwise.” The CDU/CSU would like to see “the rapid success of the formation of a new Polish government under Donald Tusk.”
The balance of power in parliament can still shift by nuances of a few percentage points for smaller parties. A lengthy government formation is expected.
Source: Stern
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