Częstochowa holds referendum to recall president and city council

Residents of Częstochowa, Poland, are voting in a referendum to determine whether to remove Mayor Krzysztof Matyjaszczyk and the City Council from office before the end of their terms. The vote, held on Sunday, October 25, 2026, involves 135 polling districts across the city.

The referendum follows a corruption investigation initiated after the Central Anticorruption Bureau (CBA) detained Matyjaszczyk in February. Prosecutors have accused the mayor of accepting bribes totaling at least 129,000 PLN in exchange for budget manipulations that benefited specific entrepreneurs. Matyjaszczyk maintains his innocence.

For the referendum to be valid, specific turnout thresholds must be met: 46,625 votes for the mayoral recall and 48,754 votes for the dissolution of the City Council. This marks the second attempt to remove the mayor during this term, following an unsuccessful effort in 2025.