“The people of Kraków have just regained their city! Now let’s put aside our differences and show that we can work together,” Gibała said, appearing to acknowledge that he will have to cooperate with Civic Coalition and its national coalition partner, the Left party, which together control 23 of the city council’s 43 seats.

This was Gibała’s fourth shot at the mayoralty. A local councilor and former national lawmaker, Gibała narrowly lost to Miszalski in 2024 in his previous attempt.

This time around, he campaigned on breaking with the political establishment, riding a wave of public discontent over Kraków’s huge debt and attempts to establish a low-emissions zone.

Gibała won the Sept. 27 first round with 36.4% ahead of Piątkowska on 29.9%. The candidate of the main opposition Law and Justice party finished third with 17.5%.

Piątkowska, backed by Civic Coalition, tried to distance herself from Miszalski while arguing that close ties with the national government would benefit Kraków, pop. 800,000.

Nationally, Civic Coalition remains ahead in opinion polls, but current voting intentions suggest that Tusk’s coalition will fall short of a majority in scheduled fall parliamentary elections.