Polish opposition claims election victory

Poland's opposition leader has declared victory over the ruling conservatives, ushering in a new era for the country.

An Ipsos exit poll shows that a coalition of opposition parties in Poland will win a majority of seats in parliament after the October 15 election, ending eight years of rule by the populist right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party.

In post-election polls, pollsters ask voters their choices as soon as they leave the polling station. These polls are highly accurate and are often relied on by countries to quickly determine the winner of an election before the vote counting process is complete.

According to the survey, the Civic Alliance of former EU leader Donald Tusk could win 163 seats in the 460-seat parliament. Two smaller parties, Third Way and Left, would win 55 and 30 seats, respectively. The total number of seats for the three-way coalition would be 248.

Meanwhile, PiS is predicted to win 200 seats and the Far Right Alliance, which could cooperate with PiS, will get 12 seats.

Opposition leader Donald Tusk celebrates after the poll results were announced on October 15 at the party headquarters in Warsaw, Poland. Photo: AFP

"Poland has won, democracy has won," Mr Tusk said, expressing joy after the poll results were announced. "It's time to end this terrible period. The reign of PiS is over."

Mr. Tusk, 66 years old, served as Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014 and as President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019. He pledged to restore good relations with the European Union, reopening EU funds frozen due to an eight-year dispute with the PiS government.

Tusk also announced he would enact abortion legislation, a long-standing contentious issue between factions and the conservative government that supports traditional Catholic values.

PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, 74, said he still hopes the PiS party can form a government next term.

"We will do everything possible to ensure our policies continue, despite opposition. The road is not closed yet," he said.

Hong Hanh (According to AFP )

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