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Bloomberg
Poland’s ruling party won a smaller-than-expected victory in regional elections, drawing a warning from voters unnerved by its unprecedented clash with the European Union.
The nation of 38 million is ground zero in a battle between populist leaders rebelling against the bloc’s liberal norms from Rome to Warsaw and mainstream forces who say they’re undermining democracy. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s Law & Justice party has been at the forefront with a “Poland First” message and a vow to “re-Christianize” Europe.
Nationwide, Law & Justice won 32 percent of votes in Sunday’s contests that included 16 regional councils, according to an exit poll by Ipsos. That fell short of both pre-election opinion polls and the nearly 38 percent it won in 2015 general elections. With turnout hitting a record high of 53 percent, the party lost nearly all major cities, including the capital Warsaw, where opposition candidate Rafal Trzaskowski unexpectedly won in the first round.
While Morawiecki declared victory, noting that his party came out on top in more provinces than in 2014, its path to influence will be complicated by potential opposition coalitions with higher combined support. Final official results will be available on Tuesday at the earliest.
“This is the best showing ever in a local election for Law & Justice,†said Morawiecki, a former banker who visited more than 150 towns and villages across the ex-communist state as the face of Law & Justice’s campaign. “We’re getting through to more and more voters, but we have room for improvement.â€
The outcome underscores some dissatisfaction with a party that has bolstered support via handouts to families and hikes to pensions and public wages, as well as non-stop coverage on state-controlled media lauding the government and criticizing its opponents.
The opposition Civic Coalition, led by the Civic Platform, was second nationwide with 25 percent, according to the exit poll. Its former coalition partner, the Peasants Party got 17 percent.