UPDATE 2 - Voters braved sub-zero temperatures in Poland, Sunday, to take part in the second round of local elections, with victories across the country for centre-right Civic Platform (PO) and independent candidates.

Sunday’s ballot was to decide head-to-head run offs for the position of 402 local district mayors (wójt), 273 town mayors (burmistrz) as well as 55 city presidents.

In Krakow, the exit poll by TNS OBOP predicts another four years in office for incumbent Jacek Majchrowski (independent) beating Civic Platform’s Stanislaw Kracik 59.5 to 40.5 percent. Turnout was 34.9 percent.

Civic Platform beat the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) candidate in Lodz, says the poll, where turnout was as low as 22 percent, as freezing weather and ‘election fatigue’ kept voters way.

Civic Platform candidates also won in Bydgoszcz, Elblag, Sieradz, Płock and Ostrów Wielkopolski.

In Poznan, Ryszard Grobelny (independent) has secured another term, beating Civic Platform’s Grzegorz Ganowicz 66.38 to 33.62 percent.

Turnout was 35 percent nationwide, according to the election commission.

In the battle to be president of the north western city of Szczecin, independent Piotr Krzystek beat Civic Platform’s Arkadiusz Litwiński, with half the votes counted, 60.57 to 39.62 percent.

In his home city of Szczecin, leader of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) Grzegorz Napieralski told reporters that he had given his vote to the Civic Platform candidate after his own party’s challenger came third in the ballot two weeks ago.

SLD had success in Wloclawek, Sosnowiec, Slupsk, Lomza, Konin, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Będzin and Częstochowa.

Law and Justice eye support level

Law and Justice held Radom, where incumbent Andrzej Kosztowniak received 59.95 percent to Civic Platform challenger Piotr Szprendałowicz’s 40.05 percent of the vote share.

The local election for the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) was a chance to see how its support had been affected by the recent exodus of several MPs and MEPs to form their own breakaway group in parliament, in protest at what they see as the extremist direction Law and Justice has increasingly been taking under the leadership of Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

PiS were hoping to win the election today in the south eastern city of Lublin, where their candidate Lech Sprawka faced Civic Platform’s Krzysztof Żuk. The exit poll suggests however that Żuk has won by a 54 to 46 percent margin.

Two-legged elections

The second round of elections were held in districts that produced no overall majority for a candidate for mayor or president in voting two weeks ago.

No voting took place on Sunday in Warsaw, for instance, as incumbent president Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz won an overall majority of 53 percent of the votes in the first round, making a second ballot unnecessary.

Party leaders will be picking over the results as they plan for the general election campaign, to be probably held in the first half of next year. (pg)

last updated 09.01 CET

Source: IAR/TVP