Monika Piątkowska reports surveillance of son ahead of Kraków mayoral runoff

Allegations of surveillance outside family home

On Saturday evening, 3 October 2026, Polish Senator Monika Piątkowska announced that unidentified people had engaged in surveillance outside her son's residence. Piątkowska, who is competing in the Kraków mayoral election for the Above Divisions Committee with the backing of Civic Coalition and the Polish People's Party, published an alert on social media. She stated that unknown individuals observed her son and attempted to photograph him at his private home. Piątkowska emphasized that her son is not a public figure, is not running for office, and has no involvement in the mayoral campaign. She described the incident as an unacceptable breach of family privacy and pledged full legal prosecution against the direct actors as well as any organizers.

Therefore, I want to publicly declare that every such incident will have legal consequences. I do not intend to remain passive or pretend that nothing happened for the sake of 'campaign peace'. I will seek legal protection to the fullest extent. This applies to both the direct perpetrators and those who inspire, finance, or coordinate such actions from behind the scenes. I will not be intimidated, and I will not back down.

Legal disputes and online campaign tactics

The confrontation over family privacy follows a series of disputes throughout the Kraków mayoral contest. Prior to the first round of voting, Piątkowska publicly objected to hostile online messaging targeting her candidacy, declaring that she would not tolerate campaigns of hate. Reporting revealed a network of three social media accounts funded by unclear sources that actively promoted posts directed against her. Concurrently, Facebook pages supporting the Civic Coalition and Polish People's Party candidate featured artificial intelligence-generated posts that criticized her rival or promoted Piątkowska. Campaign tensions also shifted into the courtroom under Poland's expedited electoral legal procedure. On Friday, 2 October 2026, Piątkowska won a first-instance electoral court ruling against Łukasz Gibała. The legal deadline to file an appeal runs until Monday, with the appellate court required to issue a decision within 24 hours of receiving the case files.

Mayoral runoff and first-round results

The election contest in Kraków heads toward the second round scheduled for Sunday, 11 October 2026. The early municipal election was triggered after voters removed former mayor Aleksander Miszalski of Civic Coalition from office in a recall referendum held in May 2026. In the first round of voting, city councilor and entrepreneur Łukasz Gibała, running with the Kraków for Residents Association, took first place with 36.38% of the vote. Piątkowska placed second after securing 29.91% of the vote. Both contenders are now in direct competition for the city leadership during the final days of campaigning.

Cabinet endorsements and election timeline

In the days leading up to the final vote, prominent national officials intervened in the race to mobilize voter turnout. On Saturday, 3 October 2026, Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski publicly called on Kraków residents to cast their ballots for Piątkowska. His appeal followed an endorsement on Friday, 2 October 2026, from Minister of Sport and Tourism Jakub Rutnicki. The mayoral campaign approaches its conclusion as both candidates prepare for the second-round ballot on 11 October 2026.