Polish nationalists win EU vote, set stage for national ballot

Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) surged to a clear victory in Sunday’s European Parliament vote, a stamp of approval for the party’s nationalist, eurosceptic platform before a national election later in the year.

The results calculated by the state electoral commission on the basis of 99.3% of polling stations showed PiS heading for its best result ever in a general or European Union election with 45.6% of votes. It won 31.8% in the EU ballot five years ago and 37.6% in the 2015 parliamentary election.

The opposition European Coalition, comprising the Civic Platform formerly led by European Council President Donald Tusk and a group of leftist and rural politicians, was second, with 38.3%. In 2014, the parties which went on to form the coalition achieved a combined result of 48.2%.

The strong showing by PiS will bolster a growing chorus of populists in Europe who share the broad goal of returning power to EU member states and strict limits on immigration.

Voter turnout stood at 45.6%, a record for a European election in Poland, following an acrimonious campaign dominated by issues such as gay rights, the legacy of the Holocaust and the role of the Catholic Church in public life.

PiS had framed the European ballot as a battle against Western liberal ideals, which it says threaten the traditional way of life in Poland, a staunchly Catholic country.

Another term in office for PiS following the national vote in October or November could increase Poland’s isolation in the European Union amid criticism that the party is tilting towards authoritarian rule.

“We have to remember the decisive battle for the future of our homeland will take place in the autumn,” PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski told party supporters after the exit poll results.

Kaczynski said ahead of the European election that in casting their votes Poles would be deciding on the “preservation of family values, ... the future of Polish tradition and the Church in our country,” according to an interview with the ultra-conservative Gazeta Polska weekly.

“We didn’t win this match, but this is only the end of the first half,” leader of the opposition Grzegorz Schetyna told private broadcaster TVN24.

“There’s a need to correct the course, there’s a need to mobilize more voters and consolidate votes,” he added suggesting extending his already broad coalition.