Strong showing for Polish opposition and sceptics

Poland's main centre-right opposition party and two Euro-sceptic groups performed strongly in the country's first European Parliament elections yesterday, exit polls showed. Civic Platform, a pro-business party, won 28 per cent, while the League of Polish Families, a nationalist Roman Catholic party, had 16 per cent, according to projections by the independent PBS polling agency.

Poland's main centre-right opposition party and two Euro-sceptic groups performed strongly in the country's first European Parliament elections yesterday, exit polls showed. Civic Platform, a pro-business party, won 28 per cent, while the League of Polish Families, a nationalist Roman Catholic party, had 16 per cent, according to projections by the independent PBS polling agency.

The poll put the Self-Defence party, led by Andrzej Lepper, third at 14 per cent.

The strong showing of two Eurosceptic parties reflected growing disillusionment over elusive prosperity and a jobless rate stuck at 20 per cent. The ruling Democratic Left Alliance's popularity has been sapped by spending cuts and by corruption scandals.