Poland’s largest opposition party said on Sunday the result of last week’s local elections, which gave the ruling Civic Platform (PO) party the highest number of provincial assembly seats, was “dishonest.” “We believe the results announced by the PKW are untrue, dishonest, not to simply say falsified,” Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, told a news conference, adding his party would appeal the vote in courts. Official results of the Nov. 16 election were announced by the state election commission PKW on Saturday following technical glitches that delayed the vote count. PO’s victory defied an exit poll which showed PiS ahead of PO by a wide margin. Such an outcome would have given the party its first nationwide victory in nine years.
Final results showed the centre-right PO won 179 seats in provincial assemblies. The conservative bloc led by PiS came second, securing 171 seats.
The junior ruling coalition partner Polish Peasant Party (PSL) won 157 seats, while the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), which joined earlier PiS calls for a re-run of the vote, secured 28 seats. The election commission said nearly 18 percent of votes were invalid. Kaczynski called for a demonstration on Dec. 13 against the election result.
Full Article: Polish opposition says local poll result ‘dishonest’ | Reuters.