Warsaw referendum initiative fails to meet signature threshold

An initiative to hold a referendum in Warsaw to dismiss the city president, Rafał Trzaskowski, and the City Council has failed. The organizers, led by Maciej Wilk of the ‘Stołeczna Operacja Referendalna’ association, were unable to collect the legally required number of signatures.

To trigger the vote, organizers needed signatures from at least 10 percent of eligible voters, which equates to approximately 132,000 people in Warsaw. According to Wilk, the campaign collected 111,000 signatures, falling short by more than 20,000. The collection period ran from July 30 to September 28, 2026.

The failure of the initiative has sparked political debate. Przemysław Czarnek explained why the Law and Justice (PiS) party did not engage its structures in the campaign, leading to a public exchange between Czarnek and Wilk.