Key facts
- Independent Łukasz Gibała won the first round of the Kraków mayoral election with 36.6% of the vote.
- Senator Monika Piątkowska, backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Coalition, secured 24.4% of the vote.
- The runoff election is scheduled for October 11.
- The contest was viewed as a test of Civic Coalition's strength ahead of national parliamentary elections.
- The Law and Justice (PiS) candidate, Michał Drewnicki, received 19.6% of the vote.
- Voter turnout was 41.9%.
Independent candidate Łukasz Gibała has won the first round of the snap mayoral election in Kraków, Poland's second-largest city, setting up a runoff against a candidate supported by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Coalition. The election, held on Sunday, September 27, 2026, saw Gibała secure 36.6% of the vote, according to an Ipsos exit poll. He will face Senator Monika Piątkowska, who garnered 24.4% of the vote and is backed by Tusk's party, in a second round on October 11.
The contest was closely watched as a gauge of political strength for Civic Coalition ahead of national parliamentary elections scheduled for a year from now. The runoff presents Tusk's camp with an opportunity to reclaim the mayoralty after the previous Civic Coalition Mayor, Aleksander Miszalski, was removed in a May referendum. Poland's right-wing opposition, including the Law and Justice (PiS) party, had framed Miszalski's recall as a sign of weakening support for Tusk's government.
Michał Drewnicki, the PiS candidate, finished third with 19.6% of the vote, failing to advance to the runoff. Gibała, who narrowly lost the mayoral race in 2024, will have another chance to win the office. Turnout for the election was 41.9%. Opposition parties have indicated some may back Gibała against Piątkowska in the second round, while national polls suggest the PiS and far-right parties could potentially form a majority in the upcoming general election.