Small victory for government party Poland

warsaw - The ruling party Justice and Justice (PiS) has made a small victory in the regional elections in Poland on Sunday. An exit poll shows that the party received 32.3 percent of the votes, against 26.9 percent four years earlier. The Civic Platform, a coalition of opposition parties, would amount to 24.7 percent.

'This result is a good omen for the parliamentary elections,' said PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The party won an absolute majority in the national elections in 2015 with a social and nationalist agenda, which hammered on the Catholic identity of Poland. The result shows that the PiS is still popular with many Poles, despite criticism from Europe that the party undermines the rule of law.

But Kaczysnki must also be worried. The Poles also chose city councils and mayors. Mayor in Warsaw capital will pass PiS. The pro-European candidate Rafal Trzaskowski won there. Moreover, the Boerenpartij received 17 percent of the provincial votes. That party now controls the Civic Platform in most provinces and that coalition can continue to exist.

The final result will come later in the week.