Tusk claims second term in Poland elections

As polling stations across Poland closed Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk claimed victory for his centre-right ruling Civic Platform in a parliamentary election on Sunday (October 9) that gives him a mandate to press on with cautious economic reforms.As the last few voters posted their ballots papers and election officials emptied the ballot boxes in a Warsaw city centre school, exit polls were being prepared for broadcast to the nation.When the clocks struck nine oclock in Poland (19:00 GMT) the official election black out ended and Civic Platform were given their second consecutive mandate to rule, a first for Poland since the first democratic elections in 1989.One exit poll showed Tusks pro-business party was on course to win 39.6 percent of votes, short of an absolute majority but comfortably ahead of Jaroslaw Kaczynskis nationalist-conservative Law and Justice party on 30.1 percent.I know that the next 4 years will be an even bigger challenge, because we will need to work these 4 years at double the pace, we will need to act with twice the speed. Firstly because Poles have the right to an even higher quality of life and to an even higher level of life, Tusk told supporters at party headquarters.Projections based on the exit poll, conducted by TNS OBOP for national television, showed the two parties would have enough seats to secure a majority in the Sejm, the lower house.Financial markets are expected to welcome the result, which points to four more years of relative political and economic stability in the European Unions largest eastern member state at a time of crisis in the euro zone.Poland was the only EU member state not to sink into recession during the 2008-09 global economic crisis. Finance Minister Jacek Rostowski said he was ready to remain in his post and reiterated his intention to reduce Polands budget deficit to below 3 percent of gross domestic product next year, in line with promises to the EU.