PM Tusk orders early Krakow mayoral election for September 27 after court clears recall
Early voting follows the May recall of Mayor Aleksander Miszalski, validated by the Krakow Court of Appeal on July 28. A dozen candidates have already declared their bids.
Referendum and court ruling
On May 24, 2026, Krakow residents voted to recall Mayor Aleksander Miszalski. The "yes" camp gathered over 171,500 votes, dwarfing the roughly 3,600 "no" votes. With total turnout surpassing 176,000, the participation rate reached 29.99%, just clearing the binding threshold of 26.98% (158,555 voters). A simultaneous referendum on dismissing the City Council failed to meet the required threshold, leaving the council in place. Challenges to the mayoral referendum's validity were first rejected by the Krakow District Court and then, on July 28, by the Court of Appeal, whose ruling is final. That decision removed the last legal obstacle for the prime minister to call early elections.
Election date and calendar
On July 31, the prime minister signed and published an order in the Journal of Laws specifying Sunday, September 27, 2026, as the day of voting. The attached electoral calendar lays out a compressed timeline. Committees must notify the electoral commissioner of their formation by August 17. The commissioner appoints the municipal electoral commission by August 24. Candidate nominations must be submitted by 16:00 on September 3. Free broadcast slots on public television and radio begin September 12 and run through midnight September 25, when the official campaign period ends. Polling stations open from 7:00 to 21:00 on September 27.
- Referendum recalls Mayor Aleksander Miszalski with 171,500+ votes for removal
- Krakow Court of Appeal rejects appeal, confirming referendum validity
- PM Donald Tusk signs order setting election date, published in Journal of Laws
- Deadline to notify electoral commissioner of committee formation
- Deadline for commissioner to appoint municipal electoral commission
- Candidate nominations due by 16:00
- Free broadcast slots begin on public TV and radio
- Campaign silence begins at midnight
- Election day, voting from 7:00 to 21:00
The candidates
Twelve hopefuls have already announced their intention to run. Among them are former Supreme Audit Office president Marian Banaś, PiS candidate Michał Drewnicki, Konfederacja's Bartosz Bocheńczak and Michał Klimek of Konfederacja Korony Polskiej, and Monika Piątkowska, the joint candidate of Civic Coalition and the Polish People's Party. Others include Aleksandra Owca of the Left Together party, Sławomir Pietrzyk of Social Democracy of Poland, Grażyna Zofia Świat of the Non-Partisan Local Government of Lesser Poland, and Marta Ratuszyńska of the Good Radom grouping. Independent figures include referendum initiator Jan Hoffman, former city councillor Łukasz Wantuch, and celebrity Marianna Schreiber. The two-week campaign window means candidates will have little time to build recognition.
Interim stewardship
Since Miszalski's departure, former vice-mayor Stanisław Kracik has been serving as the city's commissioner, appointed by the prime minister. Kracik, a former voivode of Lesser Poland, will hold the post until the new mayor is sworn in after the September 27 vote.
