Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk admitted that the victory of the opposition party in local elections held over the weekend was the first test for his center-left government since taking office late last year. This UNN writes with reference to DPA.
Details
Tusk said in a message on Platform X that he was pleased with his Civic Platform party's victories in certain regions, including its representatives' victories in the mayoral elections in Warsaw and Gdansk. He attributed the losses to the weak mobilization of young voters and the high turnout of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party in rural and eastern regions.
What's pleasing. Systematic catch-up: seven points in 2018, five in 2023, two today. A record win in cities. Advantage in assemblies. What is of concern? Demobilization, especially among the youth, failure in the east and rural areas. The conclusion for us? Stop whining! Let's get to work!
PiS emerged from Sunday's vote as the strongest force by a small margin, according to predictions. According to exit polls conducted by the public opinion research institute Ipsos, PiS received 33.7% of the votes in the elections of 16 regional administrations.
Tusk's Civic Coalition came second with 31.9 percent.
The party achieved great success in the capital Warsaw: incumbent mayor Rafal Trzaskowski received 59.9% of the vote in the first round.
Official final results won't be announced until Wednesday.
Context
The 29 million eligible voters determined the mayors of all municipalities and cities. They also elected members of all 16 regional assemblies, 380 district assemblies and 2,477 local councilors. A second round of mayoral elections is scheduled for April 21 if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round.