Polish Elections Leave Liberal Government on Edge: Far-Right Conservatives Win Narrow Victory over Center-Right Coalition

The recent regional and local elections in Poland have resulted in a narrow victory for the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which received the highest number of votes but did not reach a majority. According to exit polls conducted by Ipsos for Polish television channels, PiS gained 33.7% of the vote, while the center-right Civic Coalition (KO) led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk received 31.9%. Despite the close margin between PiS and KO, PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski celebrated the victory, stating that they are on their way to regaining power.

The election was seen as a test for the new liberal coalition government that took office in December, with Prime Minister Tusk expressing pride in the results against PiS. The results also showed a slight decline in PiS’s support from the previous election in October, while KO experienced a slight increase. However, it is important to note that this election was held under difficult circumstances due to ongoing protests against judicial reforms initiated by PiS.

The coalition partners of the liberal government, including Third Way and Nowa Lewica, experienced decreases in support. On the other hand, the far-right Confederation saw a slight improvement in its results. It is worth mentioning that there was lower voter turnout than expected; only 51.5% voted compared to 60% during previous elections. Poles also voted in municipal elections in six largest cities in Poland; Warsaw’s mayor Rafal Trzaskowski secured a majority of votes.

The liberal government faces challenges from conservative forces and internal disagreements on issues such as abortion and social security contributions. Despite these obstacles, the government continues to strive towards fulfilling its promises to Polish people. Overall, these election results reflect ongoing political landscape in Poland with PiS maintaining its strong position as popular political force.

It is important to note that despite not winning an outright majority this time around