Poland’s Pro-EU Opposition Set to End Years of Populist Rule

Ruling Law & Justice wins most seats but Tusk set for majority
Projections are based on exit polling and partial vote count

Donald Tusk speaks following the announcement of the first poll results in Warsaw, Poland, on Oct. 15.Photographer: Damian Lemanski/Bloomberg

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By Natalia Ojewska and Agnieszka Barteczko

October 15, 2023 at 7:02 PM UTC

Updated on

October 16, 2023 at 6:24 AM UTC

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Poland’s opposition is on course for a majority after Sunday’s election, an upset that would deny the ruling nationalists a third term and see the country re-engage with the European Union.

With a record number of Poles turning out to vote, the Civic Platform under former European Council President Donald Tusk won 31% of the vote, according to a projection by Ipsos that includes a partial count and exit polling. The Third Way alliance had 14%, with the Left party at 8.6%, giving the three groups 248 seats in the 460-strong lower house of parliament.