Lukasz Gibała achieved victory in the early Krakow mayoral election, the second largest city in Poland. With 36.6% of the votes, he led in the first round and is now awaiting the second round of the election, which will be held on October 11. Gibała will compete against the candidate supported by Donald Tusk, the leader of the Civic Coalition.
First Round Results and Political Competition
The elections in Krakow, which has a population of around 800,000, are seen as a test for the political power of the Civic Coalition ahead of next year's parliamentary elections. The outcome of this election gives the Civic Coalition a chance to regain the mayoralty, which they lost following the removal of Aleksander Miszalski in a referendum in May. This referendum has been portrayed as a sign of weakening support for Tusk's government.
Close Competition in the First Round
Reports indicate that Gibała is significantly ahead of Tusk's supported candidate, Monika Piątkowska. Piątkowska received only 24.4% of the votes, and none of the candidates managed to secure 50% of the votes for a definitive win. Gibała had narrowly lost to Miszalski in 2024 and now has another opportunity to achieve this position.
Miszalski was removed after facing increasing local opposition due to his policies regarding the clean transport zone in Krakow. Opposition parties, including the Law and Justice Party (PiS) and right-wing parties, have presented this outcome as a sign of weakening support for Tusk's government. Efforts are also underway to hold a similar referendum in the capital Warsaw targeting Rafał Trzaskowski, the mayor of the city.
In the first round, the candidate from the Law and Justice Party, Michał Chyl, placed third with 19.6% of the votes, thus missing out on advancing to the second round. Polls indicate that the coalition led by Tusk may struggle to maintain its power at the national level, and it is likely that the Law and Justice Party and right-wing parties could form a majority.
Previous statements from opposition parties suggest that some of them may support Gibała against Piątkowska in the second round.
