UPDATE 1-Poland's ruling nationalists ahead in election -late poll

Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party was in the lead in Sunday's parliamentary election with 43.6% of the vote and 239 seats in the 460-strong lower house of parliament, a late poll showed, according to the state news agency PAP. The opposition Civic Coalition, comprising the Civic Platform (PO) party formerly led by European Council President Donald Tusk and some smaller liberal parties, came second with 27.4% according to the Ipsos poll, which gives it 131 seats.

A late poll is based on exit polls updated with partial results from select polling stations published by Ipsos. It showed that leftist alliance The Left will have 46 seats, while the bloc of agrarian PSL and anti-system Kukiz'15 another 30. The far-right Confederation would get 13 seats, and others would get one seat. An overall majority in the lower house of parliament would allow PiS to continue its reforms of the justice system, media, and cultural institutions in its second four-year term.

The reforms have been criticized by Brussels. Poland is the biggest post-communist country-member of the European Union. The anti-PiS opposition received more than 50% of votes combined, but the complicated Polish election system gives a bonus for the biggest grouping effectively meaning that the PiS gets the biggest number of seats, remaining in power.

Partial official results are expected on Monday. The results of the vote to the upper house of parliament, the Senate, that consists of 100 deputies, were still unclear. The Senate has the power to amend and delay lower house legislation, and block changes to the constitution.