Poland's incumbents lead, but short of majority
Poland's ruling nationalists were ahead in parliamentary elections on Sunday but without a majority, an exit poll showed, raising the possibility that the liberal opposition could seek to form a governing coalition. The Ipsos exit poll gave the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party 36.8 percent of the vote, which would translate into 200 lawmakers in the 460-seat parliament. The largest opposition grouping, the liberal Civic Coalition (KO), was projected to win 31.6 percent of the vote, which would give it 163 seats. Together with the centre-right Third Way coalition and the New Left, who could enter a coalition with KO, it would command 248 seats. Official results will start coming in later on Sunday. KO leader Donald Tusk, a former European Council president, has vowed to mend Warsaw's relations with Brussels, which have been strained by numerous clashes over issues such as judicial independence, LGBT rights and migration. "Democracy has won ... This is the end of the PiS government," a jubilant Tusk told party members on Sunday evening. Critics say that since coming to power in 2015, PiS has increased political influence over the courts and turned state media into propaganda outlets. Some 110 billion euros of EU funds earmarked for Poland have been frozen due to rule-of-law concerns. PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski told officials gathered at the party's headquarters in central Warsaw that it was not clear whether Sunday's showing would translate into a new term in office. "We have to have hope," Kaczynski said. (Reuters)