Opposition declares victory in Poland election while vote count continues
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Poland’s political opposition ecstatically declared victory Sunday in the country’s most pivotal election since the fall of the Berlin Wall, after an exit poll suggested that while the ruling hard-right party had placed first, the opposition had a far clearer path to a governing coalition.
“We did it! Really! … Poland has won, democracy has won. We have removed them from power!” opposition leader Donald Tusk — a former prime minister and head of the European Council — told his supporters late Sunday.
An opposition victory would mean a dramatic shift for Poland, where the Law and Justice party has held power for the past eight years, making it one of the most successful populist parties in Europe — and a model of the rollback of democratic norms. The Polish government exerted control over the courts and the media, backed severe restrictions on abortion, targeted LBGTQ+ rights, and undermined the bonds of the European Union.
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