The second round of local elections in Poland was held on 5 December. For those of us in countries where the incumbent government is very unpopular, it comes as quite a surprise to find that in Poland the opposite seems to be the case.

The Warsaw Voice is reporting that the ruling Civic Platform (PO) party won four out of eight mayoral positions in the country’s largest cities where a second ballot was required. The turnout was low at 35.3%.

The report indicates that the PO won in Łódź, Lublin, Bydgoszcz and Opole. In the other four largest cities, Krakó, Poznań, Olsztyn and Szczecin, independent candidates won, though the candidate in Krakó was supported by the opposition SLD party. The opposition PiS party won Radom.

Meanwhile, Warsaw Voice is also reporting that the opposition PiS is splintering, though party switching is normal in the Polish context. Anyway, a new group, Polska Jest Najważniejsza (Poland Comes First), has been formed by Joanna Kluzik-Rostkowska, who was previously the coordinator of PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński’s presidential campaign.

Generally, it seems as if the opposition is in bad shape in Poland.