Independent wins Kraków mayoral race in setback for PM Tusk

Independent Łukasz Gibała won Kraków’s mayoral runoff on Sunday, defeating a candidate backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and handing Poland’s governing Civic Coalition a setback in the country’s second-largest city.

Gibała secured 61% of the vote against 39% for Senator Monika Piątkowska, according to an exit poll published just after polling stations closed at 9 p.m. local time. Turnout was 44.7%; complete results are expected overnight into Monday.

The result follows the removal of Mayor Aleksander Miszalski, backed by Civic Coalition, in a May referendum.

“The people of Kraków have just regained their city! Now let’s put aside our differences and show that we can work together,” Gibała said, appearing to acknowledge that he will have to cooperate with Civic Coalition and its national coalition partner, the Left party, which together control 23 of the city council’s 43 seats.

This was Gibała’s fourth shot at the mayoralty. A local councilor and former national lawmaker, Gibała narrowly lost to Miszalski in 2024 in his previous attempt.

This time around, he campaigned on breaking with the political establishment, riding a wave of public discontent over Kraków’s huge debt and attempts to establish a low-emissions zone.

Gibała won the Sept. 27 first round with 36.4% ahead of Piątkowska on 29.9%. The candidate of the main opposition Law and Justice party finished third with 17.5%.

Piątkowska, backed by Civic Coalition, tried to distance herself from Miszalski while arguing that close ties with the national government would benefit Kraków, pop. 800,000.

Nationally, Civic Coalition remains ahead in opinion polls, but current voting intentions suggest that Tusk’s coalition will fall short of a majority in scheduled fall parliamentary elections.

Two October surveys listed by polling aggregator ewybory.eu put Civic Coalition at 31.9%, Law and Order at 17.7%, the far-right Confederation at 14% and another far-right grouping, the Confederation of the Polish Crown, at 8.3%.

Of Civic Coalition’s three government allies, only the Left, at 7%, would exceed the 5% threshold for parliamentary representation, dimming the administration’s prospects of retaining power.