Delayed local election results give ruling party victory

Members of the National Electoral Commission (PKW) at a press conference concerning the official results of the local elections. Photo: PAP/Marcin Obara

Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz's centre-right party Civic Platform won 179 seats, while conservative opposition party Law and Justice garnered 169, junior coalition partner the Polish Peasants' Party 159 and the Democratic Left Alliance 28.

An Ipsos exit poll on 16 November had given Law and Justice 31.5 percent of the vote, Civic Platform 27.3 and the Polish Peasants Party 17 percent.

However, in the official results published by the National Electoral Commission (PKW), Law and Justice's lead had dropped by 4 percent, with the party taking the highest share with 26.85 percent, Civic Platform 26.36 percent of the vote. and the Polish Peasants' Party 23.68 percent.

Controversy

The electoral commission said that as many as 17.9 percent of the votes cast were invalid, a factor that is liable to spark further demonstrations, following protests by nationalists across Poland.

The vote count was dogged by computer glitches, prompting several leaders of PKW to tender their resignations. An investigation into hacking is already underway.

After nationalists occupied part of the headquarters of PKW on Thursday night, Law and Justice distanced itself from the incident, claiming that such actions ''can only deepen the chaos.''

However, the party had previously called for the elections to be repeated, albeit not immediately. Law and Justice, together with the Democratic Left Alliance, called last week for the terms of winning candidates to be shortened, arguing that the public could not be expected to have faith in a system that had been proved to be faulty. (nh)