Poland: Poles hit the polls as right-wing PiS party looks set to win general election

The right-wing, eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party looked set for victory in the Polish general election as voters headed to the ballot box in Warsaw, Sunday morning. According to several polls, PiS looks set to take power in the election, with a 10 percent lead over the ruling Civic Platform (PO). Led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of late Polish President Lech Kaczynski, PiS is the major opposition party in Poland. The party is opposed to Poland joining the eurozone and is highly sceptical of the European Union. PiS also believes in a strong NATO presence in Poland to combat perceived Russian aggression from the east. With a strong anti-immigration message, the party gained an electoral boost as a result of the influx of refugees and migrants into Europe in recent months. In May, the party achieved victory in the Polish presidential election when Andrzej Duda was voted in ahead of incumbent president Bronislaw Komorowski. Most polls predict that PiS will achieve just over 30 percent of the votes, meaning they will likely still have to form a coalition with smaller parties to achieve a majority in parliament. If the right-wing party fails to form a coalition, Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz's centre-right PO party, who have led Poland for eight years, could still retain power with the help of left-leaning parties like United Left. The lower house of Poland's parliament, the Sejm, consists of 460 members. The members are elected by a system of proportional representation in Poland's 41 constituencies.