Lukasz Gibała won the second round of the Krakow mayoral election on Sunday, defeating his opponent, Senator Monika Piątkowska, who was supported by Prime Minister Donald Tusk. This victory is considered a setback for the ruling Civic Coalition in Poland, which governs the country's second-largest city.
Election Results
Gibała won with 61 percent of the votes against Piątkowska's 39 percent. According to exit polls released after the polling stations closed at 9 PM local time, the voter turnout for this election was reported at 44.7 percent. Complete results are expected to be published by Monday morning.
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Participation in the Election and Plans
This result came after the removal of Alexander Mijalski, the former mayor supported by the Civic Coalition, in a referendum in May. Gibała announced to the people during this election that "the people of Krakow have taken back their city! Now let’s put aside our differences and show that we can work together." He also pointed out that he needs to collaborate with the Civic Coalition and its national partner, the Left Party, which together control 23 out of 43 seats in the city council.
This was Gibała's fourth attempt to hold the mayoral position. He had previously served as a local advisor and national legislator and narrowly lost to Mijalski in his previous attempt in 2024.
This time, he designed his campaign based on public dissatisfaction with Krakow's heavy debts and efforts to establish a low-emission zone. In the first round of the election held on September 27, Gibała came in first with 36.4 percent of the votes, while Piątkowska placed second with 29.9 percent.
Nationally, the Civic Coalition remains ahead in the polls, but recent surveys indicate that Tusk's coalition will not achieve a majority in the upcoming parliamentary elections this fall. Two polls in October show that the Civic Coalition has 31.9 percent and the Law and Justice Party has 17.7 percent of the votes.
