Trzaskowski Recall Referendum: Signature Collection Status and Requirements

Organizers in Warsaw are collecting signatures for a referendum to recall Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, aiming to surpass the required threshold following 20 years of the current ruling team.

Growth of the Signature Campaign

Maciej Wilk emphasized in a Monday, August 10 post that new people join his campaign daily and additional points are continually opened, with a growing number of signatures also arriving by mail.

We are united by one thing: the desire to initiate changes in Warsaw that are needed after 20 years of uninterrupted rule by the same ruling team, Wilk argued at the start of the signature collection, urging citizens to start changing their beloved city.

In his view, there are about half a million people in Warsaw who, among other things, after the outbreak of the scandal at the South Hospital, will be willing to sign the referendum petition, with the task being to reach these people with information and cards.

Requirements and Collection Process

The signature collection action began on August 30 and will last until September 28, with volunteers from the civic initiative Stołeczna Operacja Referendalna wearing orange vests and hats on the streets.

To hold the referendum, approximately 132,000 signatures must be collected, and the exact number will be provided by the electoral commissioner, while the validity threshold is three-fifths of the voters from the last local government elections, amounting to about 450,000 people.

Signatures can be submitted at designated points, through volunteers, by downloading lists to collect signatures independently among household members, or by downloading a card from the Stołeczna Operacja Referendalna website to sign and send by mail or deliver to the organization’s headquarters.

Historical Context and Previous Referendums

In Warsaw, a referendum on recalling the city mayor was previously held in October 2013 regarding the recall of Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, where initiators accused her of issues with public transport organization, ticket price hikes, garbage collection chaos, and delays in key investments like the metro and Northern Bridge.

That referendum proved invalid due to low voter turnout, as only 25.66 percent of eligible voters went to the polls, failing to meet the then-required 30 percent threshold.

Organizer Background and Krakow Inspiration

Maciej Wilk is the president of the “Tak dla CPK” association and until recently was a columnist for Kanał Zero, which publicized the emergency room scandal at the South Hospital, with the sor.waw.pl website registered just two days after Patryk Słowik’s first text on the subject.

Wilk did not hide that he is inspired by events in Krakow, where a similar initiative ended in success and the city mayor was recalled, with preparations currently underway there for the election of new authorities.

We are in contact with the referendum action from Krakow and count on a similar course of events, Wilk noted, adding that last year Karol Nawrocki received 360,000 votes in Warsaw and recent polls indicate up to 9 percent of KO voters would like Rafał Trzaskowski to resign following the South Hospital scandal.