Poland’s Law and Justice party has secured a decisive win in the country’s parliamentary elections.
According to exit polls, the conservative opposition party has enough seats to govern alone, with an anticipated 39% of the vote.
Law and Justice’s eurosceptic leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has claimed victory, and the outgoing PM Ewa Kopacz of the centrist Civic Platform party, has admitted defeat.
Law and Justice party has strong support in Poland’s rural areas.
If the numbers suggested by the exit poll are confirmed, it will be the first time since democracy was restored in Poland in 1989 that a single party has won enough seats to govern alone.
Photo Reuters
“We will exert law but there will be no taking of revenge. There will be no squaring of personal accounts,” said Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
“There will be no kicking of those who have fallen through their own fault and very rightly so.”
Europe’s refugee crisis also proved to be a key topic of debate before the election. While the government has agreed to take in 7,000 refugees, opposition parties have spoken out against the move.
Last week, Jaroslaw Kaczynski was criticized for suggesting refugees could bring diseases and parasites to Poland.
The 66-year-old is not running as prime minister and has instead nominated Beata Szydlo, a relative unknown, as the party’s choice for the post.
However, some observers said Jaroslaw Kaczynski could take on the top job himself in the months to come.
The Law and Justice party is close to Poland’s powerful Roman Catholic Church and has promised increased benefits and tax breaks.
Civic Platform for its part sought closer ties with the EU.
Despite overseeing eight years of impressive economic growth it was beaten into second place and will become the main opposition party.
Only three other parties are projected to win enough votes to get seats in parliament: the Polish Peasants’ Party, and two new groups, a right-wing party led by rock star Pawel Kukiz and Modern Poland, a pro-business party.
Poles are voting in the country’s parliamentary elections, with the conservatives hoping to return to power after eight years in opposition.
Opinion polls in run-up to the election put the Law and Justice party, led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski well ahead of Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz’s Civic Platform party.
Law and Justice party regained the presidency in May when Andrzej Duda won the poll.
The party is most strongly supported in rural areas and by those who close to Poland’s powerful Roman Catholic Church.
Civic Platform has been hit by disrepute, with a number of ministers caught up in an eavesdropping scandal last year.
On October 23, Deputy Justice Minister Monika Zbrojewska was fired after being charged with DUI.
Europe’s refugee crisis also proved to be a key topic of debate before the election. While the government has agreed to take in 7,000 refugees, opposition parties have spoken out against the move.
Last week, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, 66, was criticized for suggesting refugees could bring diseases and parasites to Poland.
He is not running as prime minister, and has instead nominated Beata Szydlo, a relative unknown, as the party’s choice for the post.
However, some observers think Jaroslaw Kaczynski will take on the top job himself, if Law and Justice scores a convincing victory.
The result of the election is likely to be closely followed among Eurosceptic nations.
While Civic Platform sought close ties with the EU, one Law and Justice party member told Reuters they were keen for “a less bureaucratic, more cost-effective EU that does not seek deeper political integration”.
Iceland’s centre-right opposition parties are set for a return to power with nearly all votes counted after Saturday’s parliamentary election.
The Independence party has 26% and the Progressive party 24%, putting them on track to win nearly 40 of the 63 seats.
The ruling Social Democrats are trailing with around 13%.
It is a dramatic comeback for the parties widely blamed for Iceland’s economic meltdown in 2008.
Iceland saw its prosperity evaporate, as the country’s three banks collapsed, and the Social Democrats came to power a year later, with a programme of austerity tailored to international lenders’ requirements.
“The Independence party has been called to duty again,” said leader Bjarni Benediktsson, who looks likely to become prime minister.
“We’ve seen what cutbacks have done for our healthcare system and social benefits … now it’s time to make new investments, create jobs and start growth,” he said.
“I’m very pleased,” said Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, leader of the Progressive party, as results came in.
Iceland’s centre-right opposition parties are set for a return to power with nearly all votes counted after Saturday’s parliamentary election
The centre-right camp has promised debt relief and a cut in taxes.
The two parties are also seen as Eurosceptic, and their poll success could slow down Iceland’s efforts to become a member of the European Union.
The Eurosceptics argue that Iceland already gets most of the benefits of full membership through existing free trade arrangements with the EU and by being part the Schengen visa-free travel zone.
Many Icelanders have become frustrated with the outgoing Social Democrat government, saying that its austerity policies were too painful.
A number of smaller parties have performed well, including Bright Future, which looks set to enter parliament with six seats and the computer activist Pirate party, with three.
The Social Democrats are on course for nine seats and the Left-Greens seven.
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