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Independent candidate Łukasz Gibała has been elected mayor of Krakow, Poland's second-largest city, declaring that "after 24 years, the people of Krakow have got their city back".
Gibała won Sunday's run-off with 62.12% of the vote, against 37.88% for Monika Piątkowska of the centrist Civic Coalition (KO), the main party in Prime Minister Donald Tusk's governing coalition.
Turnout was 44.27%.
He made his first remarks after the National Electoral Commission announced the exit poll results. In a speech at his campaign headquarters, he also thanked voters who had backed his rival.
"The election has just ended. Let us put all disputes aside. Let us show the whole of Poland that, despite what divides us, what unites us matters more, and that together we are capable of working for the good of our city," he said.
He warned that the city faced a difficult situation and that the next two years would be very challenging. "Krakow's budget situation is disastrous. There are many things that need fixing. There are many things that need to be changed, cleaned up, so that life in Krakow can return to normal. But I believe that together, with all of you, we will manage."
Who is Łukasz Gibała?
Gibała, a city councillor, entrepreneur and founder of the residents' association Kraków dla Mieszkańców (Krakow for Residents), ran as an independent. He was backed by Jan Hoffman, head of the Old Town district council and one of the organisers of the referendum that removed Civic Coalition mayor Aleksander Miszalski from office in May.
Gibała made his name as a critic of the city's leadership. He opposed both Jacek Majchrowski, who ran Krakow for 22 years, and his successor Miszalski, who served two years before being ousted.
This was his fourth bid for the post, after standing in 2014, 2018 and 2024 at the head of his own independent electoral committees. Early election after the referendum
Early election after the referendum
In May, residents voted in a grassroots recall referendum to remove Miszalski from office. Because he belonged to the country's main governing party, the dispute quickly took on national significance.
Voters picked the two run-off candidates on 27 September. In his speech, Gibała noted that the southern city of Częstochowa faces a recall referendum of its own in two weeks: "in two weeks' time, the residents of Częstochowa will also be trying to win back their city, because they too have a referendum coming up".