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Poland’s populist party leading in local elections

By Associated Press
Published: October 21, 2018, 8:03pm
5 Photos
The leader of Poland’s ruling right-wing party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, casts his ballot in local elections that were the test of support for the party, whose policies have produced street protests and repeated clashes with European Union leaders,in Warsaw, Poland, Sunday, Oct.
The leader of Poland’s ruling right-wing party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, casts his ballot in local elections that were the test of support for the party, whose policies have produced street protests and repeated clashes with European Union leaders,in Warsaw, Poland, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Photo Gallery

WARSAW, Poland — The governing populist party, which has repeatedly clashed with European Union institutions, was the top vote winner in local elections Sunday, according to an exit poll, but it was headed to lower support than it got in Poland’s 2015 parliamentary elections.

The Ispos survey said that in lower level elections for provincial assemblies, the ruling conservative Law and Justice party received the highest backing, with 32.3 percent. In the 2015 national elections it had almost 38 percent support.

Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said it was a “good result that bodes well for the future. It’s a good sign.” But he stressed that the exit poll result might differ from the official returns expected Tuesday or Wednesday.

In many ways it was a disappointing showing for the party, which has at times received more than 40 percent support in opinion polls.

Its drop in support comes despite generous government handouts and a booming economy and it suggests some Poles do not like the constant tensions with the EU, which has condemned an overhaul of the justice system by Law and Justice, calling it a systematic threat to the rule of law and inconsistent with democratic European values.

Opposition supporters said they hope this is a sign the tide is turning. Some commentators also suggested that this indicates the ruling party will not be able to win majority support in Poland and will have to find a way to coexist with the opposition.

A pro-EU opposition candidate won Warsaw’s mayoral race outright in the first round, according to the exit poll. Rafal Trzaskowski, a former European lawmaker and member of the Civic Platform party, garnered 51.4 percent support, which would mean he would become Warsaw mayor without having to take part in a Nov. 4 runoff.

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