Poland backs centrist opposition after eight years of nationalist rule

Donald Tusk (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

The majority of voters in Poland’s general election supported opposition parties that promised to reverse democratic backsliding and repair the nation’s relationship with allies including the European Union and Ukraine, near-complete results have showed.

The result was a disappointment for the ruling Law and Justice party and its leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who have governed Poland for eight years with a conservative, nationalist and sometimes anti-EU agenda.