Electoral court orders retraction

The District Court in Krakow ruled on 2 October in an expedited electoral proceeding against mayoral contender Łukasz Gibała, ordering him to publish a formal retraction. The non-final decision prohibits the Krakow for Residents leader from repeating assertions that six city councillors from Civic Coalition contacted him to signal their readiness for post-election cooperation. The court mandated that Gibała issue the correction across multiple media platforms, including RMF FM radio.

Dispute over council cooperation claims

The legal action arose from a radio interview broadcast on 28 September on RMF FM with journalist Tomasz Terlikowski, conducted the day after the first round of Krakow's mayoral vote. When questioned about governing alongside a Civic Coalition council majority, Gibała said six councillors approached him to express openness to talks because they disapproved of former mayor Aleksander Miszalski.

“Six coalition councillors have already approached me, claiming they are open to talks, that they did not like what Aleksander Miszalski was doing, and that if I win the election, they are open to some cooperation.”

Civic Coalition councillors immediately contested the statement. Grzegorz Stawowy, the head of the party's council caucus, held a press conference outside city hall on 1 October, stating that party members conducted an internal verification and found no evidence of any outreach. Stawowy announced that all 19 coalition councillors signed a joint declaration denying that any such conversations occurred.

“All 19 people signed a declaration certifying that what Łukasz Gibała said is untrue. No such situation took place.”

Court hearing and campaign reactions

Janusz Ryszard Cymer, the electoral agent for mayoral rival Monika Piątkowska and her committee Ponad Podziałami, filed the lawsuit on 1 October to halt what her campaign called false claims regarding an internal party division. Gibała labeled the lawsuit absurd, arguing that he never claimed any councillors intended to switch to his council caucus. The hearing commenced just after 12:00 on 2 October. Although Gibała held a briefing outside the courthouse beforehand, he did not enter the courtroom, leaving his legal representation to attorney Jan Hoffman.

In a public statement released as the trial began, Gibała argued that the easiest legal defense would be to disclose the councillors' names, but declared that he chose not to breach their confidentiality or expose them to party discipline.

“I came to the conclusion that I cannot abuse the trust of Coalition councillors who want to cooperate if I am elected to the office of mayor. There are situations in life where one has to take it on the chin and move on. I will not reveal their names, because I know what a difficult situation I would put them in.”

Countersuit over voting record

The legal dispute expanded when Gibała filed his own expedited electoral lawsuit against Piątkowska on 1 October. The claim focused on campaign statements, including during a debate, where Piątkowska alleged that Gibała abstained from voting in the majority of Krakow City Council proceedings, asserting this demonstrated indecisiveness or a lack of knowledge. Gibała countered with voting data collected across all his council terms, stating that abstentions made up only a few percent of his total votes. The Krakow District Court adjourned the hearing on Gibała's countersuit against Piątkowska to Monday, 5 October.

Signed denial declaration19

Claimed by Gibała to seek talks6

Signed denial declaration

19 councillors

Claimed by Gibała to seek talks

6 councillors

Data from the article text