Gibała leads Kraków mayoral poll at 25.1% as he announces fourth candidacy ahead of 27 September election

Gibała enters the race

Łukasz Gibała confirmed his fourth candidacy for mayor of Kraków on 7 August, standing on the Main Market Square at 16:30. The leader of the Kraków dla Mieszkańców association stressed his non-party identity, telling supporters that residents on 27 September face a choice between a party nominee trailed by political operatives and a civic candidate. Gibała previously lost the 2024 second round to Aleksander Miszalski by about 5,000 votes, and finished third in both 2014 and 2018 without advancing to the runoff. He was formerly associated with Ruch Palikota and Platforma Obywatelska and served two terms as an MP.

Gibała was the driving financial force behind the 24 May 2026 recall referendum that removed Miszalski from office, contributing at least several hundred thousand złoty to the campaign. He waited over two months after the referendum before declaring his candidacy, saying the decision was difficult given the city's debt burden and the short two-year term that would run only until 2029.

Poll puts Gibała far ahead

A poll published by Gazeta Krakowska on 7 August, conducted 22-27 July among 1,000 residents via the Ariadna and SW Research online panels, gives Gibała 25.1% support. Senator Monika Piątkowska, the joint candidate of Koalicja Obywatelska and Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe, trails at 12%. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.

Daria Gosek-Popiołek of Lewica polls 9.8% and Michał Drewnicki of PiS 8.8%, both within the margin of Piątkowska's score. Further back sit Aleksandra Owca of Razem at 5.8%, Bartosz Bocheńczak of Konfederacja at 4.8%, and Michał Klimek of Konfederacja Grzegorza Brauna at 3.4%. Marian Banaś, former head of the Supreme Audit Office running as an independent, registers 2.8%. Jan Hoffmann, a leader of the referendum initiative, polls 1.6%. A further 20.6% of respondents remain undecided.

Analyst sees a campaign reset

Marcin Duma, founder of IBRiS, described the formal registration of both Gibała's and Piątkowska's committees as the real starting point of the campaign. He said earlier surveys tested hypothetical scenarios rather than actual candidate support.

Na dziś obraz jest dość czytelny. Wszystko wskazuje na to, że Kraków swojego prezydenta wybierze w drugiej turze, a do niej - zgodnie z aktualnymi badaniami - wchodzą Łukasz Gibała i Monika Piątkowska.

Duma contrasted the two candidates' profiles: Gibała has pursued the mayoralty for over sixteen years and is deeply embedded in local debate, while Piątkowska brings administrative, managerial, and parliamentary experience to her first Kraków mayoral campaign. He noted that KO enjoys support reaching 40% in Kraków, which bolsters Piątkowska despite her running under her own committee.

A short, finance-focused term

Gibała told supporters that if elected, his term would last only two years and would not include large projects.

To będzie krótka kadencja, ona będzie też bez jakiś wielkich projektów, bo nie łudźmy się, w dwa lata nie da się nic wielkiego zrobić. Ona będzie raczej polegała na załatwianiu codziennych spraw Krakowian i przywróceniu normalności.

He pledged to focus on repairing city finances without raising fees or taxes, and to review spending for rationality. Asked about cooperation with a city council where KO and Lewica hold a majority, Gibała said he counts on working with reasonable members across party lines. On TOK FM he stressed that he owes no debts of gratitude to any party apparatus.

Crowded field

The electoral commissioner in Kraków confirmed that 15 committees had been registered by Friday, including those of Marian Banaś, Bartosz Bocheńczak, Michał Drewnicki, Daria Gosek-Popiołek, Jan Hoffmann, Michał Klimek, Aleksandra Owca, Monika Piątkowska, Sławomir Pietrzyk, Grażyna Zofia Świat, and Łukasz Wantuch. The deadline to notify the commissioner of committee formation is 17 August.

The first round is scheduled for 27 September. If no candidate exceeds 50%, a second round will follow with the top two vote-getters.