Poland’s centrist leader heads for a second term

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, October 11, 2011

WARSAW — In the race to govern Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk appeared to have defeated his conservative rival and predecessor, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, while a party that supports gay rights, abortion and some drug legalization seemed set to win representation in Parliament for the first time.

Final results are expected today, but Tusk has claimed victory and Kaczynski conceded defeat after exit polls reported on state television indicated that Tusk’s centrist Civic Platform was receiving nearly 40 percent of the vote and Kaczynski’s Law and Justice Party just over 30 percent.

If the results hold, it would mark the first time since the fall of Communism that any party has won consecutive parliamentary elections.