Łukasz Gibała to Run for Krakow Mayor for Fourth Time in Snap Election

Łukasz Gibała, a city councilor and founder of the "Krakow for Residents" association, is set to compete for the mayoral seat in Krakow for the fourth time. He will officially launch his campaign for the snap election on Friday.

The snap mayoral election in Krakow is scheduled for September 27. This election follows a referendum in May where residents voted to recall the previous mayor, Aleksander Miszalski of Civic Coalition (KO).

Renata Ropska from Gibała's press office confirmed his candidacy to PAP, stating that the registration process for his election committee, "KWW Łukasza Gibały – Kraków dla Mieszkańców," has begun. The official campaign launch is planned for Friday afternoon.

Gibała has a history of seeking the mayoral office. In 2024, he lost in the second round to Aleksander Miszalski. His previous attempts in 2014 and 2018 saw him finish in third place, failing to advance to the runoff. Gibała is also the founder of the "Krakow for Residents" association and its corresponding city councilors' club. He has past political affiliations with the Palikot Movement and the Civic Platform (PO) and served two terms as a Member of Parliament. Academically, he holds a doctorate in humanities from Jagiellonian University, where he studied philosophy, and worked as a researcher. He is also an entrepreneur.

Gibała faces a crowded field of candidates vying for the Krakow mayoralty. Other declared contenders include former Supreme Audit Office president Marian Banaś, Bartosz Bocheńczak (Confederation), Michał Dwernicki (PiS), Daria Gosek-Popiołek (The Left), Jan Hoffman (a referendum initiator), Michał Klimek (Confederation of the Polish Crown), Aleksandra Owca (Party Together), Monika Piątkowska (KO, PSL), Sławomir Pietrzyk (Social Democracy of Poland), Marta Ratuszyńska (Dobry Radom group), celebrity Marianna Schreiber, Grażyna Zofia Świat (Independent Local Government Officials of Lesser Poland), and former Krakow councilor Łukasz Wantuch.