According to Poland’s TVN television, Civic Platform won in 10 regions, up from seven in 2018, while PiS led in six. Other parties in the ruling coalition are expected to have secured enough regional seats to control most regional assemblies, which are crucial for managing EU funds amounting to tens of billions. Official regional results are set to be announced on Tuesday.
Former Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the outcome as a repeat of the October election that saw PiS lose power, but cautioned that the road ahead would not be easy. Tusk highlighted the victory of Rafał Traskowski, who secured a first round win with 59.8 percent support in his bid for reelection as mayor of Warsaw. Trzaskowski, who ran as the Civic Coalition’s presidential candidate in 2020, is considered a likely candidate for the next election year.
PiS typically performs poorly in Poland’s major cities, which tend to lean liberal. In Warsaw, PiS candidate Tobiasz Bocheński came in second with 18.5 percent of the vote. The party also faced challenges in other key cities such as Kraków, Wrocław, and Gdańsk.
This past Sunday’s election was the second in six months, with Poles now gearing up for the European election in June and the presidential vote in 2025.
