Poland‘s conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party won an absolute majority in parliamentary elections and will be able to govern without coalition partners, a first for the country since the end of communism in 1989, an Ipsos projection showed Monday.
According to pollster Ipsos, 37.7 per cent of Polish voters opted for PiS and prime minister candidate Beata Szydlo, handing the party an overall majority of 232 seats in the 460-seat Sejm, or lower house of parliament.
PiS politicians also took a clear stance against accepting Muslim refugees ahead of the election, prompting concerns that Poland could become less cooperative in European Union talks aimed at establishing a unified approach to the current refugee crisis.
Yasmin Fahimi, general secretary for Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s Social Democrat coalition partner, said Monday that Poland may take a harsh line similar to that of Hungary on moves to distribute waves of migrants arriving in the 28-member bloc in numbers not seen since World War II.
Tillykke, Polen!