Łukasz Gibała leads Krakow mayoral snap election with 36.6% in exit poll
Independent candidate Łukasz Gibała won the first round of the Krakow mayoral snap election with 36.6% of the vote according to an Ipsos exit poll, setting up an 11 October runoff against Monika Piątkowska.
First-round exit poll results
Independent candidate Łukasz Gibała secured first place in the Krakow snap mayoral election held on 27 September 2026. According to an exit poll conducted by Ipsos for TVP, TVN, and Polsat, Gibała obtained 36.6% of the vote, while senator Monika Piątkowska, backed by Koalicja Obywatelska and PSL, placed second with 24.4%. A parallel exit poll released by Ogólnopolska Grupa Badawcza (OGB) placed Gibała at 35.7% and Piątkowska at 28.4%. Law and Justice candidate Michał Drewnicki finished third with 19.6% in the Ipsos survey and 19.2% in the OGB survey. Because no candidate secured an absolute majority above 50%, Gibała and Piątkowska will face each other in a runoff vote on 11 October 2026.
- Łukasz Gibała
- 36.6 %
- Monika Piątkowska
- 24.4 %
- Michał Drewnicki
- 19.6 %
- Aleksandra Owca
- 8.7 %
- Daria Gosek-Popiołek
- 6.1 %
- Michał Klimek
- 4.2 %
- Sławomir Pietrzyk
- 0.4 %
Remaining candidates and voter turnout
Among the remaining five candidates, Aleksandra Owca of Razem took fourth place with 8.7% in the Ipsos poll and 7.1% in the OGB poll. She finished ahead of Nowa Lewica candidate Daria Gosek-Popiołek, who recorded 6.1% in Ipsos and 4.6% in OGB. Michał Klimek of Konfederacja Korony Polskiej received 4.2% in Ipsos and 4.7% in OGB, while Socjaldemokracja Polska candidate Sławomir Pietrzyk registered 0.4% in Ipsos and 0.3% in OGB. Voter turnout reached 41.9% according to Ipsos and 44.3% according to OGB, lower than the 52.6% turnout recorded during the first round of the 2024 municipal election. Voting took place across 454 polling precincts, including 412 permanent and 42 special stations, between 7:00 and 21:00.
- Łukasz Gibała
- 35.7 %
- Monika Piątkowska
- 28.4 %
- Michał Drewnicki
- 19.2 %
- Aleksandra Owca
- 7.1 %
- Michał Klimek
- 4.7 %
- Daria Gosek-Popiołek
- 4.6 %
- Sławomir Pietrzyk
- 0.3 %
Background of the snap election
The snap election was triggered after voters recalled former mayor Aleksander Miszalski of Koalicja Obywatelska in a municipal referendum in May 2026. Eight candidates initially submitted registration papers, while several other figures failed to collect the required signatures, including former Supreme Audit Office president Marian Banaś and Konfederacja representative Bartosz Bocheńczak. Jan Hoffman, who led the petition drive for the May referendum, withdrew his mayoral candidacy on 23 September 2026 and endorsed Gibała. Krakow Municipal Electoral Commission head Krzysztof Dyl explained that Hoffman's name remained on printed ballots in accordance with electoral regulations, meaning votes cast for him are legally invalid.
Campaign reactions and runoff preparations
Addressing supporters following the poll release, Gibała stated that voters had rejected pressure from national political figures who travelled to Krakow during the campaign. Prime Minister Donald Tusk had visited the city on Thursday to campaign alongside Piątkowska.
We achieved a truly wonderful result. We achieved this result despite having no party banner, despite no big party machine standing behind us.
Gibała announced that his campaign team would resume voter outreach at 6:45 on Monday morning at Rondo Mogilskie. Krzysztof Dyl stated that official certified election results are expected to be posted on the doors of the Krakow city hall between 3:00 and 4:00 on Monday morning.
