Poland opposition wins Warsaw, big cities

WARSAW, Poland, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Poland's opposition won local polls in Warsaw and most other major cities while the ruling conservatives retained power in rural areas.

In Warsaw, former National Bank President Hanna Gronkiewicz-Walts, of the opposition liberal Civic Platform party, became the capital's mayor when she won 53 percent of votes in the run-off elections Sunday, Radio Polonia reported Monday.

Gronkiewicz-Waltz will be Warsaw's first female mayor.

She defeated Mayor Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, a former prime minister, who won 47 percent of the votes, preliminary results indicated.

The local elections results are seen as a big setback to the ruling Law and Justice party of President Lech Kaczynski, the BBC said.