Law and Justice ahead in Polish Euro elections with 91 % votes counted
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
26.05.2014 07:54
Former PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski's eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) has emerged, contrary to exit polls, with the largest share of the vote in Sunday's European elections in Poland.
Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and senior party members celebrate strong showing in European Parliament elections, Sunday: photo - PAP/Jacek Turczyk
With 91 percent of votes counted, Civic Platform and the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) will both have 19 seats in the new European Parliament, with the anti-EU 'New Right' coming from nowhere to gain 4 seats.
Law and Justice received with 32.35 percent of the vote with Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centre-right Civic Platform receiving 31.29 percent.
The result means both PiS and Civic Platform will have 19 MEPs in the European Parliament.
The exit poll released when polling stations closed at 21.00 CET last night gave Civic Platform the largest share of the vote, however.
In the 2009 European elections Civic Platform was the clear winner, with 44 percent of the vote and 25 MEPs.
With 9.55 percent, the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) will have 5 seats and the Polish Peasants Party (PSL) four seats, with a 7.21 percent share.
The New Right Congress under the leadership of the bow-tie wearing Janusz Korwin-Mikke – who has promised he will dismantle the EU “from within” - will also have four seats in the parliament after receiving over seven percent of the vote nationwide.
New Right leader Janusz Korwin-Mikke celebrates gaining over 7 percent of the vote: photo - PAP/Paweł Supernak
Turnout in Poland was 23.27 percent, according to the election commission.
Anti-EU shockwave
Anti-EU parties were the biggest gainers across much of Europe on Sunday, with the Front National and UKIP winning the elections in France and the United Kingdom.
The biggest losers were parties attached to the largest voting group in the European People's Party (EPP), which Poland's Civic Platform is a member of.
Though still the biggest group, the European People's Party was set to win 212 out of the 751 seats in parliament, with 28.23 percent across the bloc, but with more than 60 seats fewer than in 2009.
The next biggest group will be the Socialist group with 186 seats (24.77%), Liberals with 70 (9.32%) and Greens 55 (7.32%). (pg)