Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party won Sunday’s national election but fell short of a majority, according to partial official results on Monday published by Reuters.

Official results in more than 90% of constituencies gave PiS with 36.4% of the vote, while the liberal-leaning Civic Coalition (KO) came in second with 29.7%, with the center-right coalition A Treia Cale in third. with 14.5%, the New Left had 8.4% and the far-right Confederation was at 7.2%.

According to party leader Jaroslaw Kaczyński, it is unclear whether the results of Poland’s election on Sunday will lead to a new mandate for the ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS).

However, Poland’s ruling populist party will find it difficult to form a government, raising the possibility that the liberal opposition may try to form a governing coalition.

Voter turnout in Poland’s election was probably the highest since the fall of communism in 1989, electoral commission chief Sylvester Marciniak said on Sunday, after an exit poll showed it was 72.9 percent.

According to the Ipsos exit poll, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party won 36.8% of the vote, which means 200 deputies in the 460-seat parliament.

• Read also: What is happening in Poland? Three key points that explain the surprise of the parliamentary elections

Tusk: “Democracy won”

Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk said on Sunday that democracy had won and that the ruling Right and Justice (PiS) nationalists would be ousted from power.

“I have never been so happy in my life as I am today with this second place. Poland won. Democracy won. We removed them (PiS) from power!” he declared.

KO leader Donald Tusk, a former president of the European Council, has promised to mend Warsaw’s relationship with Brussels, which has been strained by numerous disputes over issues such as the independence of the judiciary, LGBT rights and migration.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Sunday that his ruling Law and Justice (PiS) nationalists had won the parliamentary elections.

“I won. Law and Justice (PiS) is the winner of the 2023 parliamentary elections,” he said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) nationalists will try to form a stable government if the president gives them the task, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Sunday, Reuters reported.

“If the president entrusts the formation of the government to the candidate from the winning party, we will try to build a stable government,” Moravetsky told the public television channel TVP Info.