Polish voters are participating in the second round of local elections to choose mayors in 748 cities and towns where no candidate secured at least 50% of the vote in the initial round held on April 7. This includes key cities like Krakow, Poznan, Rzeszow, and Wroclaw.
The outcome of these local elections is being closely watched as a litmus test for the current pro-European Union government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who assumed office at the national level four months ago. While Tusk's party performed well in major urban centers such as Warsaw, where their candidate secured a comfortable victory, they fell short of a decisive win overall.
The main opposition party, Law and Justice, which previously held power at the national level from 2015 to 2019, garnered a higher percentage of votes in the provincial assemblies. This underscores the political divide in Poland, with Tusk's socially liberal Civic Coalition drawing strong support in urban areas, while Law and Justice maintains a more conservative base in rural regions, particularly in the east of the country.
In the provincial assembly elections, Law and Justice secured 34.3% of the votes nationwide, while Tusk's Civic Coalition received 30.6%. The results of these local elections are expected to have implications for the balance of power between the ruling government and the opposition, shaping the political landscape in Poland for the foreseeable future.
