The first official results from Sunday’s local elections in Poland have begun to emerge. Among the victors was Warsaw’s incumbent mayor Rafa艂 Trzaskowski – a leading figure in Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist Civic Coalition (KO) – who won a second term in office.
Trzaskowski received 57.4% of the vote, well ahead of second-place Tobiasz Boche艅ski (23.1%), representing the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS), the main national opposition. Magdalena Biejat of The Left (Lewica) was third on 12.9%.
By winning a majority of votes, Trzaskowski avoided having to face a second-round run-off vote in two weeks against Boche艅ski. The size of his victory is also likely to add to speculation that he will be KO’s candidate for next year’s presidential elections, as he was in 2020.
Warszawa pe艂ne wyniki pic.twitter.com/IyVGqwAiYI
— Maciej G艂ogowski (@MaciejGlogowski) April 8, 2024
In Poland’s second-largest city, Krak贸w, a run-off vote will be needed, after Aleksander Miszalski of KO won with only 37.2% of the vote. He will face independent candidate 艁ukasz Giba艂a (26.8%), in a second round on 21 April. The winner will replace outgoing mayor Jacek Majchrowski.
Among incumbent mayors to win a further term in official results so far are Aleksandra Dulkiewicz of KO, who won in Gda艅sk with 58%; Marcin Krupa, an independent supported by KO, who won in Katowice with 62.4%; and Hanna Zdanowska of KO, who won in 艁贸d藕 with 59.3%.
In Pozna艅, incumbent mayor Jacek Ja艣kowiak of KO missed out on an outright victory, with 43.7%, and will face a run-off against Zbigniew Czerwi艅ski of PiS (20.3%).
In Wroc艂aw, incumbent mayor Jacek Sutryk (34.3%), an independent supported by KO, will also face off against Izabela Bodnar (29.8%) of the centrist Poland 2050 (Polska 2050).
Official results from elections to nine of Poland’s 16 provincial parliaments have also been announced. We will report on them all once the remaining seven are confirmed.
"Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," said Jaros艂aw Kaczy艅ski, after exit polls indicated his opposition PiS party won the most votes in yesterday's local election
PM Donald Tusk admitted that his KO group "failed in the east and the countryside" https://t.co/Umqx6EQFw3
— Notes from Poland 馃嚨馃嚤 (@notesfrompoland) April 8, 2024
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Main image credit: Dawid Zuchowicz / Agencja Wyborcza.pl
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of聽Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including聽Foreign Policy,聽POLITICO Europe,聽EUobserver聽and聽Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
