The opposition declared victory.

Donald Tusk, a former Prime Minister of Poland and President of the European Council, declared victory in the Eastern European nation's general election on October 15. The declaration came just minutes after polling stations closed, based on the results of a post-election opinion poll.

Polls showed that the ruling conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) won the most votes, but it was still not enough for PiS to form a government, while victory smiled upon the opposition as the coalition led by Tusk joined forces with two other opposition parties to win a majority in the new Polish Parliament .

The PiS party, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, ruled Poland for eight years, accused of undermining democratic principles and reshaping the fifth most populous country in the European Union (EU) according to deeply conservative values. PiS also brought Poland into conflict with Brussels over the rule of law, resulting in tens of billions of euros in EU funding being frozen.

Appearing on stage at the election headquarters of the opposition Civic Alliance (KO), led by the Civic Platform (PO) party, in Warsaw, Tusk declared victory.

"I have never been happier in my life than with this second place. Poland has won, democracy has triumphed. We have removed them (the PiS party) from power," Tusk said to cheers from his supporters.

“We have won democracy, we have won freedom, we have won our beloved free Poland… this day will be remembered in history as a bright day, a day of rebirth for Poland.”

Ballots are counted in Wroclaw, Poland, as part of what many consider to be Europe's most important election this year, October 15, 2023. Photo: WSJ

According to a poll published immediately after voting ended at 9 p.m. on October 15 (local time), PiS received 36.8% of the vote, followed by the centrist KO Alliance with 31.6%, the center-right Third Way Alliance with 13%, the New Left Party with 8.6%, and the far-right Confederation with 6.2%. In 2019, PiS won 43.6% of the vote. The poll was conducted by IPSOS and shared with three major Polish television networks. The poll has a margin of error of 2%.

Based on the poll results, PiS would win 200 seats, KO 163 seats, Third Way 55 seats, New Left 30 seats, and Confederation 12 seats.

The three leading opposition groups, including KO, Third Way, and New Left, will have a combined 248 seats in Poland's 460-seat lower house, while PiS and the Confederation will have 212. The outcome for the ruling party will be even worse, as the Confederation has indicated it will not form a coalition with PiS.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and leader of the ruling PiS party Jaroslaw Kaczynski are seen after post-election poll results were released on October 15, 2023. Photo: WSJ

PiS leader Jarosław Kazcyński called the result a victory for his party, but acknowledged: “The question before us is whether this success can translate into another term of our government . We don’t know this yet, but we must hope and we must know that whether we are in power or the opposition, we will carry out this project and not allow Poland to be betrayed.”

The official results are expected to be announced on October 17th. After the vote count is complete, the next step will be for Polish President Andrzej Duda. Duda has stated that, traditionally, the President will choose a member of the largest party to nominate as Prime Minister, thus taking the first step in forming a new government.

“The president could give PiS its first chance to form a government, delaying the opposition’s victory,” Stanley Bill, Professor of Polish Studies at the University of Cambridge, said on X/Twitter. “It’s important to wait for the official results. Small differences could somewhat alter the picture . ”

Minh Duc (According to Politico EU, The Guardian)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/ket-qua-bau-cu-ba-lan-phe-doi-lap-tuyen-bo-chien-thang-a631269.html