Monika Piątkowska sues Łukasz Gibała over claims of defection by six Krakow councilors

Legal challenge over radio remarks

The electoral committee of Monika Piątkowska, Ponad Podziałami, has submitted an application under the fast-track election procedure to a court in Krakow against Łukasz Gibała. The motion demands that Gibała cease claiming that six councilors from Civic Coalition (KO) approached him with offers of post-election cooperation. The legal filing also requests that Gibała publish formal retractions across local media outlets and his Facebook profile. The dispute stems from an interview broadcast on 28 September 2026 on Radio RMF FM, where journalist Tomasz Terlikowski questioned Gibała about his ability to govern the city without an independent council majority. During the broadcast, Gibała stated that representatives from the opposing bloc had initiated contact with his camp.

I will surprise you, six coalition councilors have already approached me, claiming they are open to talks, that they did not like what Aleksander Miszalski was doing, and that if I win the election, they are somewhere out there open to some cooperation.

Councilors deny defection claims

On 1 October 2026, KO city councilors gathered for a press conference outside Krakow City Hall to formally reject Gibała's allegations. Grzegorz Stawowy, the head of the KO council club, stated that the group conducted internal inquiries and found no members who had reached out to the Kraków dla Mieszkańców leader. The club presented a signed declaration refuting the claims in their entirety, describing the radio comments as a deliberate fabrication designed to create the impression that Gibała commands a potential majority in the city legislature.

All 19 people signed a declaration certifying that what Łukasz Gibała said is untrue, that such a situation did not take place.

Stawowy added that KO councilors remain committed to their electoral mandate alongside The Left. While the bloc stated it would evaluate individual municipal proposals constructively regardless of who occupies the mayor's office, it firmly rejected any notion of backstage defections or pre-arranged pacts with Gibała.

First round results and runoff outlook

The legal dispute arrives during the campaign for the early mayoral runoff scheduled for 11 October 2026. In the first round of voting, Gibała, who leads the local Kraków dla Mieszkańców movement, secured first place with 36.38% of the vote. Senator Monika Piątkowska, running with the joint backing of Civic Coalition and the Polish People's Party (PSL), advanced to the second round in second place after receiving 29.91%. Michał Drewnicki, representing Law and Justice (PiS), finished third with 17.50% of the vote. With under two weeks remaining before the runoff, Piątkowska's campaign has sought to consolidate the coalition base and counter claims of internal division.

Council dynamics and next steps

The controversy touches directly on governance calculations in Krakow, where neither mayoral candidate possesses a standalone majority in the city council. During the press conference on 1 October 2026, Stawowy noted that if Gibała were to win the mayoral office, his vacant council seat would be filled by a candidate affiliated with Daria Gosek-Popiołek. According to Stawowy, this change would raise the joint tally of Civic Coalition and The Left to 24 councilors in the chamber. KO representatives argued that Gibała's radio comments aimed to sow discord within the party club while obscuring his own need to negotiate with an opposition-controlled legislature. The Krakow court will review the election petition under expedited statutory deadlines ahead of the 11 October vote.