Today's tonic: Poland frees itself from its neo-fascist, homophobic, anti-democratic government and embraces change

Donald Tusk, leader of the Civic Coalition

Amid the many horrors in Israel and Palestine this past week or so, this little bit of international good news is extremely welcome. 

Exit polls indicate that Polish voters this past weekend have given their progressive and centrist opposition parties enough seats in their next parliament to form a government, thus turfing out the far right neo-fascists of the Law and Justice Party, also known as PiS.   Now that's an appropriate term for these jerks.  

The neo-fascists greatly hurt many democratic ideals during their eight years of elected power in the country, including taking away women's rights over their own bodies by virtually outlawing abortion, threatening the independence of the judiciary and press freedom too by taking hold of the state broadcaster, and attacking LGBTQ rights.   

"The exit polls suggested that the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party received the most votes (about 36.6%), but that Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition together with two other opposition parties should have a route to a parliamentary majority.

Tusk, who was Polish prime minister between 2007 and 2014 and then became European Council president for five years, declared victory almost immediately after polls closed on Sunday, claiming there was no route for PiS to claim a third term in office.

“It’s the end of the evil times, it’s the end of the PiS rule. We made it,” Tusk said, speaking at a party event inside Warsaw’s ethnography museum to the sound of cheers from supporters. “We won democracy, we won freedom, we won our free, beloved Poland … this day will be remembered in history as a bright day, the rebirth of Poland.”

An updated exit poll released on Monday put PiS on 36.6% and Tusk’s Civic Coalition on 31%, with strong showings also for two groups that could form a coalition with Tusk: the centre-right Third Way (13.5%) and the leftwing Lewica (8.6%). The poll projects that the opposition coalition will win about 248 out of 460 seats.   

Final results are still coming in, but it seems clear change is coming for Poland. 

Wonderful news for democracy and freedoms for all.