Exit polls from yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Poland show the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party winning the most seats in parliament but not a majority, potentially paving the way for the opposition to take power.

Ipsos exit polls conducted last night show PiS coming in first with 36.6 percent of the vote, securing around 200 seats in parliament, with the liberal opposition Civic Coalition, or KO, coming in second with 31 percent of the votes or 161 seats, and the center-right Third Way or Trzecia Droga alliance coming in third with 13.5 percent, or 57 seats.

The New Left or Lewica party came in fourth with 8.6 percent, potentially giving them 30 seats in parliament, followed by the far-right Konfederacja party with 6.2 percent, or 14 seats.

According to reports by the Polish Press Agency, the Non-Partisan Local Government Activists group received 2.4 percent of the vote and will not be represented in parliament.

If confirmed, the results would give the opposition alliance of Civic Coalition, Trzecia Droga, and Lewica a 248-seat majority in the 460-seat Sejm, the lower house of Polish parliament.
Responding to last night’s exit poll results, current Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said PiS would try to form a new government with a stable parliamentary majority if given the task by President Andrzej Duda.

Source: Polskie Radio, PAP

Representatives from Poland’s National Electoral Commission (PKW) have estimated that Sunday’s parliamentary election had the highest turnout in the history of the Third Polish Republic.

Chairman of the PKW, Judge Sylwester Marciniak, made the remarks during a press conference late Sunday evening, adding that while the turnout was “most likely record-breaking, the Commission could not yet provide accurate data.

According to Ipsos polling, Sunday’s turnout was a staggering 72.9%, which Marciniak compared favorably with the previous highest turnout of 62.5% in the Sejm elections of 1989.

Overseas voters were also set to break turnout records, with the number of Polish voters registered abroad surpassing 608,000, the highest-ever recorded registration, according to Polish state news agency PAP. For the 2019 parliamentary elections, that figure was around 314,000, according to officials.

Despite the record turnout, exit polls showed that only 40 percent of Poles voted in Sunday’s nationwide referendum on issues including illegal migration and retirement age limits, meaning that the results of the vote are not binding, according to officials.

Source: Radio Gdańsk, Polskie Radio

Polish tennis star Hubert Hurkacz won his seventh career singles title yesterday after beating Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the final of the Shanghai Masters tournament in China.

The 17th-ranked Pole outmatched the seventh-ranked Russian 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 in the championship match to claim Hurkacz’s second ATP 1000 title.

According to TV broadcaster Polsat Sport, the victory may help Hurkacz secure a spot in the season-ending ATP Finals next month.

Source: Polskie Radio, atptour.com

Poland’s national football team drew 1-1 with Moldova in their penultimate Euro 2024 qualifier in Warsaw yesterday, calling into question the team’s chances of qualifying for the European tournament next year.

The Poles, captained by Napoli midfielder Piotr Zieliński, went into the match missing star striker Robert Lewandowski, who had been ruled out by an ankle injury.
Poland is currently ranked 30th worldwide by football’s governing body, FIFA, while Moldova is No. 159 in the FIFA table.

After seven rounds of fixtures, Poland is third in their qualifying Group E, with 10 points, behind Albania and the Czech Republic, having played one match more than its rivals.

The Poles will take on the 37th-ranked Czech Republic in their last qualifier in Warsaw on November 17.

Source: Polskie Radio

A graduate of the Akademia Muzyczna (AMuz) in Gdańsk, 25-year-old Piotr Pawlak, took home second place on Sunday at the 2nd International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments in Warsaw.

Pawlak, who has a degree in mathematics and is known as “a mathematician at the keyboard,” has won several prestigious international competitions, including first prize at last year’s 5th International Maj Lind Piano Competition in Helsinki.

Canadian pianist Eric Guo of Toronto took home the top prize at Sunday’s competition, with Angie Zhang of the United States and Yonghuan Zhong of China sharing third place.

Source: Polskie Radio

Weather

Today will start with rain showers before clearing off in the afternoon, accompanied by a strong breeze from the west. Temperatures will stay on the cooler side, with an afternoon high of 10°C or 50°F, dropping to a low of 4°C or 40°F overnight. Slightly warmer, sunnier weather is expected tomorrow, with clouds and a chance for some rain returning later in the week.

Listen to the broadcast:

Elizabeth Peck/ol