Polish parliamentary election: Final results show PiS win narrow majority

A man attends a voting during parliamentary election at a polling station in Warsaw, Poland, October 13, 2019.
A man attends a voting during parliamentary election at a polling station in Warsaw, Poland, October 13, 2019. Copyright REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
By Emma BeswickCristina Abellan-Matamoros
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Final results from Poland's parliamentary election on Sunday showed the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) had won a narrow majority in parliament.

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The final results from Poland's parliamentary election on Sunday showed the ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party had won a narrow majority in parliament.

The ruling party won 235 seats in the 460-strong lower house of parliament, according to results released by the Electoral Commission on Monday evening.

Poland's biggest opposition grouping Civic Coalition came second with 134 seats of support.

A grouping of left-wing parties, The Left, came in third with 49 seats, while the bloc of agrarian PSL and anti-system Kukizs 15 has 30 seats. The far-right Confederation has meanwhile secured 11 seats.

An overall majority in the lower house of parliament would allow PiS to continue its reforms of the justice system, media, and institutions in its second four-year term.

Pollsters had predicted the ruling PiS would garner even more votes than it did in 2015 when it enticed more than 37% of the electorate which should, once again, allow it to govern alone.

Experts said easy victory for PiS would cement Poland's slide towards conservatism and deepen its rifts with the EU.

Watch the latest report from Euronews' Poland correspondent, Oliver Whitfield Miocic, in the player above.

READ MORE: Poland's parliamentary election 2019: All you need to know about the pivotal poll

The nationalist party has in its first term in power blended ideological conservatism with progressive measures. It introduced social handouts for every child born, doubled pensions and is now pledging to do the same to the minimum wage for workers.

But it has also talked about tightening already strict abortion laws and railed against migrants and LGBTQ people they say threaten the country's Christian values.

It has also been sued by the EU Commission over reforms that the bloc said threaten judicial independence and been criticised for its continued support to fossil fuel.

READ MORE: Will the Greens gets their first MPs elected in coal-hungry Poland?

In June, Poland was one of three EU members to veto a bid to reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2050 unless the bloc helped pay for renewable energy alternatives.

Then just two weeks ago, the Polish government opened the country’s first new mine in 25 years.

Still, smaller parties could still prove to be kingmakers with centrist and centre-left parties expected to grow their share of the vote.

Europe Elects, a poll aggregator expects the pro-EU Civic Coalition (KO) — composed of the centre-right, liberal and centre-left formations — of coming second, while the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) is predicted to reenter parliament after a scandal brought it down in 2015.

The PiS, however, lost its majority in the Senate, which they say will delay its legislative agenda. The Senate has the power to amend and delay lower house legislation and block changes to the constitution.

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[READ MORE: Poland's parliamentary election 2019: Will smaller parties prove to be the kingmakers?](Poland's parliamentary election 2019: Will smaller parties prove to be the kingmakers?)

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