Nearly 134,000 Krakow residents signed a recall petition against President Aleksander Miszalski, which has been submitted to the National Electoral Commission for verification.
Decision within 30 days
The electoral commissioner has 30 days to verify the signatures. Organizers estimate the referendum will be held on May 17 or 24. For validity, at least 158,555 residents (three-fifths of mayoral election voters) must participate, with a simple majority deciding the president’s removal.
Charges against Krakow President
The recall initiative, led by Jan Hofman, accuses Miszalski of city debt, cronyism, unprofessional audits, broken election promises, and unworthy conduct including dancing on city hall roof to a vulgar song. Critics also oppose transport zone policies, ticket price hikes, and new parking regulations.
Political Context
Opposition groups including Law and Justice and Confederation supported the signature drive. Meanwhile, Miszalski was recently re-elected as head of the Civic Coalition in Małopolska, facing no opposition in his party.
President’s Response
Miszalski calls the referendum a political “overtime” after his opponents’ election defeat. As signatures accumulated, he announced policy reversals on parking, ticket prices, and transport rules, which critics view as hypocritical concessions to avoid removal.
