Right-wing party Law and Justice (PiS) declared victory in Poland’s national election on Sunday. However, opposition leader Donald Tusk said his party, Civic Coalition (KO), and two smaller parties, Third Way and Left, have enough ballots to form a coalition that could replace PiS. Votes are still being counted and Poland’s state electoral commission says the final results will not be known until Tuesday.

When the party leaders declared victory, exit polls showed PiS had won the most votes but did not have the majority seats.

• PiS received 200 seats in Parliament, and its main partner, the far-right Confederation, received only 12 seats.
• This is not enough for a governing majority in Poland’s 460-seat Parliament.
• However, KO received 163 seats, the Third Way 55 seats, and Left 30 seats—totaling 248 seats.

Potential outcomes: But voting counts have already changed, and several outcomes for the election are still possible.

• PiS leader and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki could win more support and form a coalition with the Confederation Party if they get enough votes.
• Donald Tusk could lead the Civic Platform in forming a coalition government that is both more liberal and more pro-European Union.
• If Tusk won the election with his coalition, Polish President Andrzej Duda, a supporter of PiS, would have the power to veto any legislation Tusk’s government makes.
• Duda can dissolve Parliament and call for a new election if no government can be formed within the next 45 days.

Leadership needed: It may be a while before Poland’s new government is formed, and this will not sit well with the Polish people. Europe is having to deal with many crises, from the influx of migrants to the looming threat of Russia. In the face of all these challenges, the last thing the Poles want is a quarreling, undecided government.

According to Poland’s national electoral commission, the turnout for this election was 72.9 percent. This is one of the highest levels of voter turnout in Poland since the fall of communism in 1989.

The present election drama may cause some Poles to feel uneasy about their government’s current democratic process. No matter what results from this election, expect the nation’s demands for more authoritative leadership to grow stronger.