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Polish Election Results 2007

international | politics / elections | news report

Sunday October 21, 2007 20:00

by Damien Moran

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Poles are electing new parliamentarians today in early elections called by the conservative Law and Justice government after their coalition with controversial populists and the far-right collapsed last month. Poland's frequently controversial rule over the past 2 years under Jaroslaw Kacznski and his President brother has been focused on rooting out the alleged 'uklad,' what the twin brothers and their party label a corrupt network of former communists, big businessmen and mafia personnel who maintained control over Poland's economy and public institutions after the 1989 collapse of communism.

The main opposition party, Civic Platform (PO), stems from the same foundations as PiS, both having been prominent in the anti-communist Solidarnosc trade union movement of the 80's. They differ in that PO are more economically neo-liberal and socially less conservative, thus they appeal to younger and wealthier professionally-educated folk. The voter base of PiS is in the relgious right wing, mainly rural-based, or in the more economically neglected regions of the cities.

Over 30 million are eligible to vote, while 170,000 Poles abroad, 22,000 in Ireland, registered to partake in what is being hailed one of the most significant European elections since the end of the USSR. Poland has recently run into trouble with E.U. bureaucrats and member states while demanding greater voting rights through the square root system, opt out clauses like 'Joanina' to maintain their sovereignty, extreme sycophancy towards the Republican administration in Washington, crackdown on gay rights marches, and their friendship with the radical right-wing Redemptorist media mogul Fr. Tadeusz Rydzyk. The latter is unapologetically anti-semitic, xenophobic, homophobic and very sceptical of the E.U.'s influence in Poland.

By 4.30pm today 38.22% of the electorate had already registered their vote, an increase of 10.5% compared to the same time during the last general election held in 2005, where only 40% voted in total. The count was determined as 51.4% at 8.05pm, the best turn out since the 1993 elections, though most commentators had predicted at least it to be 60%.

For more articles from Poland on the Polish elections and the frequent hilarity of the Polish political scene please have a look at:

Ducking Polish Kaczynskiism with satire
http://peacenikhurler.blogspot.com/2007/10/ducking-poli....html

General Election in Poland - the brains behind Sunday voting!
http://peacenikhurler.blogspot.com/2007/10/general-elec....html

Polish Election Campaign comes to Ireland
http://peacenikhurler.blogspot.com/2007/10/polish-elect....html

Anarchists and the elections:
http://cia.bzzz.net/anarchists_and_the_elections

RTE coverage:

Voting under way in Polish elections
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1021/poland.html

Polish Election: Twin leaders, twin identity
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1019/poland1.html

RTE Interactive Poll: Are the Kaczynski Brothers' politics too conservative for the EU?

- Yes, I hope they lose this Sunday 76% (1624 votes)

- No, they provide a good balance 24% (514 votes)

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The exit polls have been put back to 9pm so results should be pouring in very soon.

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Polish Election Results 2007

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