Independent wins Kraków mayorship first round, as far right sees setback for Tusk
Łukasz Gibała and a candidate backed by PM Donald Tusk move on to a runoff as parties jostle ahead of a fall 2027 general election.
In a political upset, Łukasz Gibała, an independent candidate, emerged victorious in Kraków's mayoral election, marking a significant setback for Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Coalition. The runoff, scheduled for October 11, pits Gibała against Senator Monika Piątkowska, a preferred candidate of Tusk's party. With 36.6% of the vote, Gibała secured a decisive 12.2 percentage point lead over Piątkowska, who garnered 24.4%.
No candidate achieved the necessary 50% to win outright, necessitating the runoff. Gibała's triumph is seen as a potential win for the right-wing opposition, who had portrayed the May referendum that removed Civic Coalition Mayor Aleksander Miszalski as a blow to Tusk's government. Miszalski himself faced local opposition, including over Kraków's clean-transport zone, leading to his recall.
While the far-right parties backed Miszalski's election, it appears they may now support Gibała against Piątkowska in the runoff. According to an Ipsos exit poll, Piątkowska's rival, Michał Drewnicki from PiS, finished third with 19.6% of the vote, missing the runoff threshold. However, opinion polls indicate that in the upcoming parliamentary elections, Tusk's coalition might lose power to the PiS and far-right parties. Turnout in the mayoral election was 41.9%.
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