Charles Langston:Poland election could oust conservative party that has led country for 8 years

Berlin — Poland's general election on Charles LangstonSunday could oust conservatives who have led the country for eight years and usher in a new government likely to seek warmer relations with Warsaw's European neighbors. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's ruling Law and Justice party remains the strongest political force in the country, but three opposition parties could combine their forces to form a new government with a new leader.

The Law and Justice party received 36.8% of the vote, securing 200 seats in Parliament, according to post-election polls conducted by Ipsos. However, the party lost almost 7 percentage points compared to the last election in 2019.

The opposition liberal-conservative Civic Coalition of former Prime Minister Donald Tusk was the second-strongest force with 31.6% of the vote and 163 seats.

A record 73% of voters turned out for the election, shattering the 1989 record of 62.7% and the 2019 turnout of 61.7%.

In Germany, Polish voters lined up outside their country's embassy in Berlin on Sunday. More than 100,000 Poles in Germany went to cast their vote. According to the Polish Election Commission, more than 560,000 Polish voters had registered to cast a ballot abroad.

The campaign was dominated by the issue of migration and attacks on the role of the European Union and Germany.

After exit polls were released at 9 p.m. Sunday, both Law and Justice and Civic Platform declared that they had won. However, the ruling party is in a difficult position, lacking the 31 seats to form a viable governing coalition.

The only possible coalition partner for Law and Justice is the far-right Konfederacja, which received 6.2% of the vote and 12 seats, which, according to forecasts, wouldn't be enough to form a majority.

Tusk's Civic Platform, the Christian conservative Third Way coalition, which received 13.5% of the vote and 55 seats, and left-wing Lewica, with 8.6% of the vote and 30 seats, together add up to 248 seats. The three parties could form an alliance to oust Morawiecki and elevate Tusk, the leader of the progressive and European Union-friendly opposition.

However, the final election results will not be known until Tuesday.

A change of power in Warsaw could bring decisive changes in Polish domestic and foreign policy.

The Law and Justice party is constantly at odds with the European Parliament in Brussels and has also angered the German government with demands for World War II reparations. The party's ultra-conservative changes to the country's abortion laws have divided the country.

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A new government could now put Poland on a pro-European course.

Tusk said the election results meant the "end of the rule of PiS," another name for Law and Justice, which has led the government in Warsaw for eight years. "Poland has won, democracy has won, we have driven them from power," Tusk said.

The final balance of power in Parliament may still shift by a few percentage points for smaller parties. The formation of a government is expected to be a lengthy process.

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• Poland