Polish PM Kopacz concedes election defeat
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
25.10.2015 22:04
Law and Justice (PiS) head Jarosław Kaczyński has said that his party is ready to lead the country after exit polls indicate that the party won Sunday’s election in Poland.
Ewa Kopacz waves to her supporters following the exit polls on Sunday. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
“Ten years ago Lech Kaczyński became President of Poland. We would not be here if it were not for him,” Jarosław Kaczyński said of his late twin brother who died in the Smolensk plane crash in 2010. The Kaczyński brothers cofounded the conservative party.
“I would also thank Beata Szydło,” Kaczyński added, a few minutes following the closing of polling stations at 9:00 pm CET.
Beata Szydło is the party’s candidate for Prime Minister.
Lech Kaczyński (R) kisses Beata Szydło's hand (L) following Sunday's general election. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
“This was a great time. We would not be here were it not for your hard work. The head of the party [Jarosław Kaczyński] deserves the biggest praise today.
"We worked hard, and we would not have won without the support of the hundreds of Poles who told us what they want, and what is most important for them. Thank you for trusting us,” Szydło said.
Admitted defeat
“We have not wasted the last eight years,” outgoing Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz said in a separate press conference, adding that for the first time in years, Polish unemployment is measured in single digits.
“That is how we are leaving Poland to those who won the elections today. I honestly thank those who voted for us all these years, and voted for us today,” Kopacz concluded.
An exit poll has indicated that a conservative opposition coalition led by the Law and Justice party has won Poland's general election with 39.1 percent of the vote. (rg/rk)