Krakow court orders Monika Piątkowska to retract claim on rival's council voting record

Court ruling on council voting record

The District Court in Krakow ordered senator Monika Piątkowska, mayoral candidate supported by Civic Coalition and PSL, to issue a formal rectification regarding the voting record of her rival, Łukasz Gibała. In a television debate on Polsat News on 20 September 2026, Piątkowska claimed that Gibała abstained in the majority of city council votes during his two terms in office. Gibała's legal representatives submitted calculations covering approximately 10,000 council votes, showing that abstentions reached a peak of 20% in a single year and remained under 10% in all other years. The court determined that the voting data provided no grounds for Piątkowska's assertion and declared the statement untrue. Piątkowska must publish the correction on Facebook and Instagram and delete posts containing the debate excerpt, though the ruling remains subject to appeal.

Rejected claims and debate remarks

While the court ordered social media rectifications, it dismissed several other demands submitted by Gibała's electoral committee. The committee sought a broadcast correction on Polsat News, a formal apology, and a 10,000 PLN payment to a foundation supporting the University Children's Hospital in Prokocim. The legal dispute originated during the programme "Śniadanie Rymanowskiego", where Piątkowska questioned Gibała's fitness to govern.

A mayor of Kraków will not be able to abstain from voting; decision-making, cooperation, and knowledge will be fundamental competencies of a city mayor taking office at an extremely difficult moment.

Gibała responded during the same broadcast by defending his legislative choices as an independent councilor.

When the ruling option introduces resolutions where good and bad things are thrown into one bag, there is nothing left to do but abstain.

Mutual electoral litigation

The ruling on 5 October marks the second court intervention in the final phase of the campaign under the fast-track electoral procedure. On 2 October 2026, the same district court ruled against Gibała in a separate lawsuit brought by Piątkowska's committee. In that case, the court ordered Gibała to rectify statements claiming that Civic Coalition councilors had declared a willingness to cooperate with him if elected mayor. Both rulings remain non-final and subject to appeal. Political scientist Andrzej Piasecki from the Krakow University of Economics described the mutual legal challenges as an even contest over secondary matters.

We have some variety in Kraków, now we are at the lawsuit stage.

Run-off dynamics ahead of Sunday vote

Krakow voters will choose their mayor in the second round of the snap election on 11 October 2026. Gibała, a local entrepreneur and councilor, led the first round with 36.38% of the vote. Piątkowska, who serves as a senator and president of the Grain and Feed Chamber in Warsaw, faces the challenge of consolidating voters without official endorsements from eliminated first-round candidates. Campaign teams have struggled to reach an agreement on the format for a head-to-head televised debate before polling stations open on Sunday.