During the parliamentary elections in Warsaw on Sunday, Donald Tusk, the leader of the main opposition party Civic Coalition, delivered a speech. As voting came to a close, it remained uncertain whether the ruling Law and Justice party had secured enough seats for a third term in power. The photo, taken by Piotr Nowak/EPA-EFE, captures the moment.
Oct. 15 (UPI) — Poles participated in a highly anticipated election, in which the conservative ruling Law and Justice party sought a third term and voters expressed their views on a referendum about European immigration policy.
The election featured a clash between Law and Justice (PiS), a populist party known for its contentious relationship with the European Union, and a center-left coalition led by Donald Tusk, a former prime minister and president of the European Council.
Voters were tasked with selecting 460 new members of parliament and 100 senators from a pool of 6,655 candidates.
In order to secure majority control, a political party needs to win 231 seats in the lower house of parliament, known as the Sejm.
Additionally, voters were able to voice their opinions through a referendum regarding the European Union’s migrant relocation plan.
As the polls closed at 9 p.m. local time, exit polls provided no clear indication of whether PiS had garnered enough votes to form a government without the need for coalition partners. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of PiS, shared this update with German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
PiS was projected to receive 36.8% of the vote, potentially resulting in approximately 200 seats, which falls short of the required number to establish a government.
Meanwhile, Donald Tusk expressed confidence that his party and its allies in the Civic Coalition had secured enough votes to form a new government, replacing PiS. In a statement to DW, he exclaimed, “I am the happiest man on earth. Democracy has won. Poland has won.”
PiS has implemented restrictive measures concerning abortion access and has taken an adversarial stance towards the LGBTQ+ community. The party is expected to reduce aid to Ukraine as the country defends itself against Russian invasion.
The European Union has criticized PiS for its concentration of power within Poland’s judicial system, media, and other institutions.
In Poland, approximately 29 million people are eligible to vote. The election results are expected to be announced on Tuesday.
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