Official results from Poland’s recent general election have revealed that the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has secured the most votes, but now faces an uphill battle to retain power due to the absence of an outright majority.
After completing the vote count in all electoral districts on Tuesday morning, the National Electoral Commission made the announcement, stating that PiS had garnered 35.38 percent of the vote. This victory translates into 194 seats in the 460-seat Sejm, Poland’s lower house of parliament.
However, PiS falls short of the 231 seats needed for a parliamentary majority, thereby opening the door for opposition parties to potentially form a new government.
PiS’s primary rival, the centrist Civic Coalition (KO), led by the Civic Platform (PO) party, secured 30.70 percent of the vote, resulting in 157 seats.
Two smaller parties, seen as potential allies of the Civic Coalition, namely the Third Way and the New Left, received 14.40 percent and 8.61 percent of the vote, winning 65 and 26 seats, respectively.
Collectively, these three opposition parties, committed to collaborating and seeking to establish a coalition government, command a combined total of 53.71 percent of the vote and 248 seats.
The far-right Confederation, which secured 7.16 percent of the vote, will hold 18 seats in the Sejm.
One notable aspect of this election was the record-breaking turnout, with 74.38 percent of eligible voters casting their ballots. This marks the highest voter turnout in Poland since 1919 and even surpasses the turnout of the country’s first free elections following the fall of communism in 1989 when it reached 62.70 percent.