Polish Election Will Have Run-Off

With over 94 percent of the votes counted this morning, the results are closer than the latest polls predicted. At the moment, Civic Platform leader and acting President Bronisław Komorowski holds 41.2 percent of the vote, while Law and Justice’s Jarosław Kaczyński holds 36.7 percent of the vote. In third place with a surprisingly strong showing is Grzegorz Napieralski of the Democratic Left Alliance, with nearly 13 percent.

The lack of a majority for any candidate means that there will be a run-off, which is scheduled for 4 July. As the results came in, Kaczyński told his supporters, “These elections are not over. There is our faith that these elections can be won… and must be”.

Meanwhile, nearly 33,000 Polish citizens voted in the United States, and Jarosław Kaczyński was the clear winner amongst the American Polonia. In the UK, however, Polish citizens overwhelmingly chose Komorowski.