WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The leader of Poland's populist ruling party has hailed its showing in local elections as an "all-out victory" despite the party's failure to win mayoral races in any of Poland's large cities.

In an apparent face-saving measure, Jaroslaw Kaczynski says "our victory is not subject to the slightest doubt" and calls the results a good sign for the Law and Justice party in upcoming elections.

He spoke Tuesday following the vote that ended Sunday in which the conservative ruling party won the most seats in regional assemblies but performed poorly in mayoral races, winning no big cities and only a handful of smaller ones.

Looking ahead, Poles will elect representatives to the European Parliament in May and to the national parliament in the fall, and will then pick a president in 2020.