Governing coalition backs Zdzisława Różańska for Senate by-election in Zielona Góra

Senate Pact agreement

Poland's governing coalition agreed to field Zdzisława Różańska as its single candidate for the upcoming Senate by-election in Lubusz Voivodeship. Różańska is the widow of General Mirosław Różański, who held the constituency seat until his death in August 2026. Civic Coalition member of parliament Elżbieta Polak announced the coalition's decision on social media, confirming that member parties agreed to maintain their joint electoral framework known as the Senate Pact. Under this pact, coalition partners agree not to run competing candidates against one another in single-member districts. Polak confirmed that the alliance has initiated signature-gathering efforts to register Różańska on the ballot.

By decision of the coalition agreement, the Senate Pact is maintained in the by-election to the Senate. The joint candidate will be Mrs. Zdzisława Różańska, wife of the late Mirosław Różański.

Election schedule and constituency scope

President Karol Nawrocki ordered the by-election to take place on Sunday, 22 November 2026. The decree followed a formal declaration issued on 27 August by Senate Marshal Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, which confirmed the expiration of Różański's parliamentary mandate. The contest will occur in Senate constituency no. 20, located in Lubusz Voivodeship in western Poland. The constituency covers the city with county rights of Zielona Góra as well as three surrounding rural counties: Krosno, Świebodzin, and Zielona Góra. Parties and independent committees must collect signatures from registered voters in the district to secure ballot access before the November vote.

Declared candidates and political field

Różańska faces several challengers representing diverse political movements and local interests across the district. Joanna Senyszyn, leader of the Nowa Fala party and a former candidate for the Polish presidency, announced her intention to run and stated she plans to move to Zielona Góra for the campaign.

My start in the Senate elections can even be considered a sociological experiment: to what extent this sympathy translates into specific votes.

Former Zielona Góra mayor Janusz Kubicki expressed his intention to contest the seat as an independent figure. The field of prospective contenders also includes Olimpia Tomczyk-Iwko, a former Lubusz deputy voivode under the Law and Justice administration who now represents the Biało-Czerwoni Movement led by Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik. Additionally, entrepreneur Tomasz Naruszewicz has received the recommendation of Konfederacja Korony Polskiej to seek the open seat.

Career and military service of Mirosław Różański

The vote follows the death of General Mirosław Różański on 24 August 2026 at the age of 63. Born in 1962 in Głogów, Różański began his military career in 1986 and twice served as commander of the 17th Wielkopolska Mechanized Brigade stationed in Międzyrzecz. In 2005, he attained the rank of brigadier general as one of the youngest general officers in the Polish Armed Forces. He commanded a brigade combat group during the eighth rotation of the Polish military contingent in Iraq in 2007.

In 2015, Różański was appointed General Commander of the Armed Forces and promoted to lieutenant general before concluding his military service in 2017. He entered national politics in the 2023 parliamentary elections, winning the constituency no. 20 seat on the ticket of the Trzecia Droga coalition, which united the Polish People's Party and Szymon Hołownia's Polska 2050. Following a division within Polska 2050, Różański joined the Nowa Polska-Centrum senatorial group in March 2026, serving in that capacity until his death.