Poland’s centrist premier Tusk is strengthened by EU election win but populists are at his heels

By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist party clinched its first electoral victory over a right-wing populist party in a decade by taking the most votes in the European Parliament election. While the results, announced Monday, solidified his position, they also showed that his lead is small, and that support for the far right is rising. His Civic Coalition took 37.1% of the votes in Sunday’s EU election. The nationalist Law and Justice, which held power from 2015 until last year, got 36.2%. Confederation, a far-right party with a vocal anti-Ukraine stance, had its best result ever, coming third with 12.1%.