Ruling Polish party set to enjoy gains in regional elections

Poland's ruling conservative party seemed set Sunday to take big gains in regional elections that will determine the make-up of local governments and regional parliaments.

Exit polls conducted by the Ipsos Institute for broadcaster TVN24 indicated that candidates of the Law and Justice (PiS) party took 32.3 per cent of the vote while opposition parties Civic Platform (PO) and Nowoczesna, which campaigned together, took 24.7 per cent.

Final results are expected Wednesday.

The vote was seen as a dress rehearsal for 2019, when Poles will get a chance to elect a new legislature. It also provided some sense of whether Polish voters back their government amid a series of ongoing fights with the European Union.

"We earned a result that is a good sign for the parliamentary elections," PiS head Jaroslaw Kaczynski said.

The initial results suggest that PiS will claim an absolute majority in more regional parliaments, making it easier to push through policies endorsed by the national government.

Sociologist Janusz A Majcherek of Krakow University said the results indicate that the PiS will probably be able to be able to put its people in more government offices at all levels.

"These elections have a meaning that was never present before [in prior elections]," he said.

Observers noted that the PiS was able to enjoy such a broad victory because of promises of increased benefits and government spending. However, it is unclear how long the Polish economy can sustain this level of spending.

That said, the opposition scored at least one victory. Rafal Trzaskowski looks set to be the next president - or mayor - of Warsaw, with a conclusive win that would spare him the need for a run-off.

The PiS also failed to score outright wins in other major cities, meaning a series of run-off elections are now expected on November 4.

The PiS has enjoyed an absolute majority on the national level since 2015. However, some of its policies - including attempts to set controls on the judiciary and media - have drawn EU criticism.

The EU filed a lawsuit against the government for its efforts to force the retirement of some judges. The European Court of Justice ruled Friday that the judges must be allowed to work until the court issues a final ruling.