WARSAW: Polish voters cast ballots in local elections on Sunday that were the first nationwide test of support for the conservative ruling party, whose policies have produced street protests and repeated clashes with European Union leaders.

The election was for offices ranging from city mayors to village councillors. The ruling right-wing Law and Justice party is hoping to strengthen its firm grip on power, which has been buoyed by handing out social benefits and questioning how much authority the EU should have over member nations.

EU leaders say changes the ruling party has made to Poland’s judiciary threaten the rule of law in the country and have triggered an unprecedented sanctioning procedure, which the opposition says is undermining Poland’s position.

The vote on Sunday also measures the strength of the opposition, which is centered on the pro-EU Civic Platform party that governed Poland for eight years before Law and Justice came to power in 2015.

Campaigning had targeted Poland’s largest cities such as Warsaw, Poznan, Krakow, Wroclaw and Gdansk which are traditionally pro-EU, and where the opposition is in control of local governments. Any losses in the cities would be seen as a defeat for the opposition.

Sunday is the first round of voting. If mayoral candidates don’t win at least 50 per cent of the vote, runoffs will be held on Nov 4.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2018