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WORLD NEWS Monday 22 october 2018

Polish populists lead local votes, support down

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Its policies have produced
Associated Press street protests and repeat-
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — ed clashes with EU leaders.
The governing populist Nationwide turnout was
party, which has repeat- 51.3 percent, higher than
edly clashed with Europe- in 2014, according to the
an Union institutions, was exit poll, which questioned
the top vote winner in local voters as they were leaving
elections Sunday, accord- polling stations in 1,160 lo-
ing to an exit poll, but it was cations across Poland.
headed to lower support The election was for offices
than it got in Poland's 2015 ranging from city mayors to
parliamentary elections. village councilors. Law and
The Ispos survey said that Justice party was hoping
in lower level elections for to strengthen its firm grip
provincial assemblies, the on power, which has been
ruling conservative Law buoyed by handing out so-
and Justice party received cial benefits and question-
the highest backing, with ing how much authority the
32.3 percent. In the 2015 EU should have over mem-
national elections it had al- ber nations.
most 38 percent support. Campaigning targeted Po-
Party leader Jaroslaw Kac- land's largest cities — such
zynski said it was a "good as Warsaw, Poznan, Kra-
result that bodes well for kow, Wroclaw and Gdansk
the future. It's a good sign." — which are traditionally
But he stressed that the exit pro-EU, and where the op-
poll result might differ from position is in control of local
the official returns expect- governments.
ed Tuesday or Wednesday. In Warsaw, in a rare sight,
In many ways it was a dis- voters had to stand in lines
appointing showing for the The candidate for Warsaw mayor for the pro-European Union Civic Platform party, Rafal Trzas- at many voting stations to
kowski, with his son Stasio, check voting lists in local elections that were the test of support for the
party, which has at times ruling right-wing Law and Justice party, in Warsaw, Poland, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018. get their ballots. They said
received more than 40 Associated Press voter mobilization was very
percent support in opinion high in the race between
polls. mentators also suggested mayor without having to had a disappointing result, the EU-skeptic and pro-EU
Its drop in support comes that this indicates the ruling take part in a Nov. 4 runoff. only taking third place, and main political forces.
despite generous gov- party will not be able to win Trzaskowski, whose party leaving two others to face "I have never seen so many
ernment handouts and a majority support in Poland governed Poland for eight off in the runoff Nov. 4. people voting, this is a
booming economy and and will have to find a way years before Law and Jus- Lech Walesa, the founder good thing. The question is
it suggests some Poles do to coexist with the opposi- tice came to power in of the Solidarity movement will this be enough for (pro-
not like the constant ten- tion. 2015, ran against the ruling that confronted the com- EU Civic) Platform to keep
sions with the EU, which has A pro-EU opposition candi- party's candidate, Deputy munist regime in the 1980s, power" in Warsaw, Aneta
condemned an overhaul date won Warsaw's may- Justice Minister Patryk Jaki. voted wearing a T-shirt with Benedyk said as she stood
of the justice system by Law oral race outright in the Jaki had attracted atten- the word "Konstytucja" — or in line in southern Warsaw.
and Justice, calling it a sys- first round, according to tion by heading a special constitution — a popular Poland's local elections kick
tematic threat to the rule of the exit poll. Rafal Trzas- commission for reversing sign of opposition to the rul- off a string of crucial votes
law and inconsistent with kowski, a former European housing decisions by the ing party. that include the European
democratic European val- lawmaker and member of city's Town Hall under Civic Sunday's elections were Parliament vote in May, the
ues. the Civic Platform party, Platform. the first nationwide test of national parliament vote
Opposition supporters said garnered 51.4 percent sup- In Gdansk, one of the sons support for Law and Justice in the fall of 2019 and Po-
they hope this is a sign the port, which would mean of democracy icon Lech since it gained control of land's presidential election
tide is turning. Some com- he would become Warsaw Walesa, Jaroslaw Walesa, the national government. in the spring of 2020.q