Poland’s opposition PiS bounces back in local elections

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) - Poland’s main opposition Law and Justice (PiS) came out as the largest party in local elections on Sunday, according to an exit poll.

PiS, which lost national elections in October last year, bagged 33.7% of votes, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO) secured 31.9%, according to a survey conducted by the IPSOS organization.

Voters cast their ballots to choose members of 16 regional assemblies.

The Third Way, a center-right grouping that forms part of Tusk’s ruling coalition, won 13.5% of votes, ahead of the far-right opposition Confederation party with 7.5% and the Left, which is also part of Tusk’s coalition, 6.5%.

Turnout was 51.5% compared to 54.9% during the previous local election in 2018. October’s parliamentary election had a 74.4% turnout.

The liberal-left coalition of Tusk will run most of Poland’s 16 regional assemblies, key bodies in managing tens of billions in EU funds.

PiS currently rules in six regions. Poland’s TVN television estimated that KO won in 10 regions, up from seven in 2018, and PiS was in the lead in six.

PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said the victory “should, above all, be an incentive for us to work, because it turns out that those who wanted to bury us, as Mark Twain once said: ‘The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated’.”

“We now need to win the EU election and the presidential election before we try to win the next general election,” Kaczynski added.

Tusk, who in his first three months back in office, has sought a widespread reversal of PiS's judicial, media and other reforms, said: “Today we see that this road will not be easy, including in the future.”

The official regional results are due Tuesday.