Turnout High as Poles Cast Votes in Parliamentary Elections

Source: Deutsche Welle

Poles voted on Sunday, Oct. 21, in a parliamentary election that could weaken the Kaczynski twins' grip on power and usher in a coalition ready to speed up economic reforms and improve relations with the European Union.

Opinion polls on Sunday suggested the Civic Platform, a center-right opposition party, will attract most support. Turnout, at over 52 percent, reached the highest level since Poland voted to end communism in 1989. Low voter participation in 2005 was seen as a key reason behind the Kaczynskis' victory.

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The snap election was called two years early after the last coalition collapsed due to allegations of corruption. Seven parties and election coalitions took part in the elections, as well as a handful of political movements which only put up candidates in a few constituencies.

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Civic Platform members said they intended to restore positive relations with EU after ties to the 27-member bloc, which Poland joined in 2004, have suffered under the Kaczynski brothers. The opposition party also said it would Polish troops out of Iraq. Opinion polls have put the Platform between 4 and 17 points ahead of the ruling Law and Justice Party of the prime minister and his brother Lech, the president. The polls gave the opposition party as much as 47 percent of the vote. If none of the parties receives an outright majority of votes, coalition negotiations will be required to form a government.




Read more: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2833849,00.html

The Civic Platform is not as crazy right wing as the Kaczynski brothers are, the Platform also wants to take Poland's troops out of Iraq.