On Sunday 7 April, Poles were voting in the local elections. The official results were announced earlier this week.
Law and Justice (PiS) won the largest share of votes with 34.3%, followed by the Civic Coalition (KO) with 30.6%. The Third Way (TD) ended up with 14.3%, in front of the Confederation which gathered 7.2%, and The Left with 6.3%. The independent candidates gathered 3%.
Poles were electing members for all 16 regional assemblies (sejmik wojewódzki), 314 county councils (powiat), and 2477 municipal councils (gmina), along with heads (wójt) of municipalities and mayors of cities. Elections were also held in the 18 district councils of Warsaw.
Poland (local elections), final results:
PiS-ECR: 34%
KO-EPP|RE|G/EFA: 31%
TD PL2050/PSL-RE|EPP: 14%
Kon/BS~NI|ID: 7%
Lewica-S&D: 6%
BS-*: 3%➤ https://t.co/TMumh6CCxH pic.twitter.com/d8yKGHg3M2
— Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) April 8, 2024
PiS claimed victory in the provinces of Lublin (with 47.2% of the vote), Łódź (37.6%), Małopolska (43.9%), Masovia (33.2%), Subcarpathia (52%), Podlaskie (43.5%), and Świętokrzyskie (42%).
KO emerged as the dominant group in the provincial parliaments of Lower Silesia (where it secured 33.5% of the vote), Kujawy-Pomerania (38.3%), Lubusz (34.7%), Opole (36.5%), Pomerania (43.8%), Silesia (32.4%), Warmia-Masuria (34.9%), Wielkopolska (32%), and West Pomerania (38.9%).
Rafał Trzaskowski (KO) was reelected mayor of Warsaw with 57,4% of the votes. In Poland’s second-largest city, Kraków, a second round of voting will be necessary as Aleksander Miszalski of KO secured victory with only 37.2% of the vote. He will contend against independent candidate Łukasz Gibała, who garnered 26.8% of the vote. The successful candidate will replace the outgoing mayor, Jacek Majchrowski.
Among the incumbent mayors who have secured another term based on official results so far are Aleksandra Dulkiewicz of KO, who triumphed in Gdańsk with 58% of the vote; Marcin Krupa, an independent supported by KO, who emerged victorious in Katowice with 62.4%; and Hanna Zdanowska of KO, who clinched victory in Łódź with 59.3% of the vote.
Co cieszy? Systematyczne odrabianie strat: w 2018 siedem punktów, w 2023 pięć, dzisiaj – dwa. Rekordowe zwycięstwo w miastach. Przewaga w sejmikach. Co martwi? Demobilizacja, szczególnie wśród młodych, porażka na wschodzie i na wsi. Wniosek dla nas? Nie marudzimy! Do roboty!
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) April 8, 2024
In Poznań, incumbent mayor Jacek Jaśkowiak of KO fell short of an outright victory, securing 43.7% of the vote, and will compete in a runoff against Zbigniew Czerwiński of PiS, who obtained 20.3%.
Similarly, in Wrocław, incumbent mayor Jacek Sutryk, an independent supported by KO, attained 34.3% of the vote and will contend against Izabela Bodnar of the centrist Poland 2050 (Polska 2050), who secured 29.8%, in the runoff.
The second round of voting to elect heads of municipalities, mayors, and city presidents will occur on 21st April in areas where no candidate received more than 50% of the votes.
Image: wybory.gov.pl
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
