During an interview with Radio Maryja, an ultra-Catholic radio station, and then in Poland’s lower house of parliament, Kaczynski made his most forthright comments yet since the results were belatedly released on 22 November. “The elections were falsified,” the Law and Justive leader claimed. “One only needs to determine exactly to what extent, and who is directly responsible, because the beneficiary is clear enough to the naked eye,” he said. In parliament, he stressed the large amount of invalidated votes (17.93 percent), urging MPs to back draft legislation that would shorten the terms of those elected. Although Law and Justice won the most votes (26.85 percent), the party garnered 4 percent less than an exit poll had indicated. Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz’s Civic Platform party managed 26.36 percent of the vote, slightly less than the 27.3 percent given in the exit poll.
Meanwhile, junior coalition partner the Polish Peasants’ Party garnered 23.68 percent, higher than the 17 percent forecast by the exit poll. The Democratic Left Alliance took 8.78 percent, similar to the exit poll.
Some 17.93 percent of the votes were declared invalid, five percent more than in the previous local elections. In the 2010 general elections 4.5 percent were dismissed as invalid. Under Polish law, the invalid votes cannot be re-examined at this stage.
Full Article: Opposition leader claims local election results ‘falsified’ – National.