Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski faces removal calls after hospital scandal

During a night session of the Warsaw City Council, Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski secured an absolution for the previous year’s budget, but the opposition – mainly the Left parties – voted against it and issued a “yellow card,” saying he did not merit a red one. Left politicians such as Grzegorz Janiczak (New Left), Adam Kościelak and Konrad Wiślicz‑Węgorowski publicly called for Trzaskowski’s dismissal, citing a series of scandals.

The controversies include the South Hospital affair, in which a city‑run clinic allegedly paid excessive salaries to a young doctor, faced accusations of patient deaths and misuse of funds; a “VIP salon” allegedly used for treating politicians; and the expulsion of a whistle‑blower from the Warsaw Roads Department after exposing irregular spending. Additionally, the Polish Organization of Local Authorities (PKOl) lodged a formal complaint with Trzaskowski, alleging voting irregularities at its assembly and seeking an extraordinary meeting to remove its president. The cumulative pressure has intensified calls for the mayor’s removal.