Kraków mayoral election: Gibała and Piątkowska advance to second round

In the first round of the extraordinary mayoral elections in Kraków, independent candidate Łukasz Gibała secured the highest number of votes with 36.38 percent. Monika Piątkowska, supported by the Civic Coalition (KO) and the Polish People's Party (PSL), followed with 29.91 percent. These two candidates will face each other in a second-round runoff scheduled for October 11.

Other candidates included Michał Drewnicki of Law and Justice (PiS), who received 17.50 percent, and Aleksandra Owca of Razem, who garnered 6.91 percent. The election was triggered by a May referendum that recalled the previous mayor, Aleksander Miszalski. Voter turnout for the first round was reported at 43.50 percent.

Following the results, Gibała expressed satisfaction with his performance, emphasizing his focus on local issues rather than national party politics. He also proposed introducing a minimum tourist fee of 20 PLN to increase city revenue and manage tourism. Meanwhile, political analysts noted that the results may signal a shift in voter sentiment away from the major national political blocs in the city.