Polish opposition parties win general election

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The incumbent Law and Justice party won the most seats in Parliament but fell short of a majority, according to a final vote count given Tuesday by Poland's National Electoral Commission. The Law and Justice party has been in power since 2015 and has often clashed with the European Union over its control of the rule of law, media freedom, and social issues. The EU is withholding billions of dollars in funding to Poland over democratic erosion, saying that democratic values, norms, and institutions are being diminished. Opposition leader and former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said he will lead a coalition of liberal and centrist parties.

What happens now? The country's electoral commission gave final results on Tuesday morning. After the vote is finalized, President Andrzej Duda will instruct the majority party to build a government.

Dig deeper: Listen to Nick Eicher and Mary Reichard’s report on The WORLD and Everything in It podcast about a free speech trial in Finland.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.