- In the supplementary elections to the legislature in Krakow 4 candidates applied for a mandate after Bogdan Klich
- The best consequence — 50.14 percent of votes — was won by candidate KO Monika Piątkowska. The second was PiS candidate Mateusz Małodziński — 31.41 percent of the votes, and the 3rd candidate of Confederate Adam Berkowicz — 10.47 percent of the 7.98 percent of the votes received by the candidate Together Ewa Sładek
- The vote counting ended little than a fewer hours after the closing of the polling stations, due to the fact that only 16.52 percent of those entitled to vote went to the polls in Kraków district.
- The low turnout, although not surprising, is 1 of the reasons, in addition to the consequence of the Law and the Confederation, for which the "mobilization test" announced by Prime Minister Tusk did not fall best for the ruling coalition
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There's no surprise.Monika Piątkowska won in the supplementary elections to the legislature in Krakow, winning 50.14 percent of the vote. Thus, the mandate that Bogdan Klich submitted erstwhile he left to service as charge d’affaires in the United States will stay in the hands of the Civic Coalition.
Kraków is simply a friendly area for this party. Unlike all Lesser Poland, which is considered a bastion of Law and Justice, its capital is more liberal. For 22 years, the city was ruled by independent president, although from SLD, Jacek Majchrowski. I went after him little than a year ago to take over the politician Aleksander Miszalski. In the election to the Sejm in 2023, PiS gained 25%, KO – 34.3 percent.
In the legislature district, in which elections were held on Sunday, Bogdan Klich besides won the Platform politician for years. In 2023, he defeated his rival with the PiS, gaining 70% of the vote.
What could have gone wrong. It started with an earthquake on Platform.
Could something have gone incorrect with the ruling coalition? Yes, due to the fact that the choice of a candidate who could replace Klich already triggered turbulence on the Platform. Contrary to the recommendations of local structures, the party's office placed on Monika Piątkowska – a politician not connected with them, with a rich past in another parties, and besides in Krakow itself not well known (although she was an authoritative with president Majchrowski). As if there were not adequate acids in the Platform itself, 1 of the government coalitions cut off from the candidate — Poland 2050. Marshal Simon Holovnia said straight that his organization did not support it.
Read also: The Platform boils before the election. “We increase the chances of PiS”
In the run itself, emotions expired, due to the fact that the Krakow elections did not attract peculiar attention. They remained in the shadow of the race to the Presidential Palace and geopolitical turmoil. Even on the weekend, erstwhile the electoral silence of many of my Krakow friends from territory 33 continued, they admitted that they had not heard that there was to be a vote on Sunday.
It's expected to be a KO and a PiS test before the election. The electorate doesn't know yet.
Just before the silence of going to the urns, Prime Minister Donald Tusk appealed on social media. "Sunday elections to the legislature in Krakow will be a test of mobilization before the presidential elections. LOVE KRACUSY, all of Poland is counting on you!” wrote the head of government, encouraging the vote on Piątkowska.
Civil Coalition with “minimum plan” in Kraków
Once we know the results of the elections, it can be said that the Civic Coalition in its test fulfilled the minimum plan – it defended the mandate after Bogdan Klich. Based on the first reactions of the politicians of the Kraków Platform, it can be assumed that nothing else was essential for their happiness today.
However, erstwhile we look closely at the results of the vote, they indicate that not only inside this civic one, but throughout the ruling coalition, a informing lamp should light. And there are at least a fewer reasons for concern, as well as the conclusions that can be drawn from the result of the Krakow elections.
Firstly, the consequence of Monika Piątkowska is importantly lower than that obtained by Bogdan Klich in 2023. It can naturally be explained by the fact that the candidate KO did not have (like Klich) just 1 competitor, but three. Mateusz Małodziński from PiS, Adam Berkowicz from the Confederacy and Ewa Sładek from Together applied for the mandate. However, little voter support is besides the effect that KOs chose to be a candidate, who was not even half as recognizable among the cracks as Bogdan Klich and who could not number on the strong support of local structures as erstwhile senator. These 2 issues come together and are an example of how organization interests do not always go hand in hand with voters' expectations and sympathy. And that the omission of structures in the decision-making process does not gotta end in disaster, but can weaken the morale of activists against the greater challenge of presidential elections.
Votes for the Law and the Confederacy votes against the government
Detailed election results in Krakow for the governing coalition may besides be a concern erstwhile counting the joint consequence of the candidates of the Law and Justice and the Confederation. Mateusz Małodziński scored 31.41 percent, What is interesting is the consequence of a better than the 1 obtained by him in 2023, erstwhile he only had Bogdan Klich against him (then he gained 29.1%). Adam Berkowicz won 10.47 percent.
In their first comments, PiS politicians say that the advantage of Małodziński (dressed in the "citizen candidate" over Berkowicz) is simply a signal that the Confederate is artificially pumped in the polls. This, in turn, is expected to be the crowning proof that Karol Nawrocki is not doing as bad in the presidential race as the subsequent survey of the public opinion shows. The Krakow duel of the right-wing duo has nothing to do with the struggles of Nawrocki with Sławomir Mentzen. Małodziński is much better known to Krakówns, mainly from erstwhile he was a vice-voivod or election to the city council or the Lesser Poland Seymich than Adam Berkowicz, a candidate brought by the Confederation from Podkarpacie. Secondly, as we mentioned earlier, liberal Kraków is simply a weak experimental ground for the right-wing rivalry to translate its results into a nationwide presidential duel.
The case is somewhat different, however, erstwhile we treat the results of Junior and Berkowicz not so much as votes cast for them, but turned against the ruling coalition. She was besides allowed to vote against by candidates Together Ewa Sladek, who obtained7.98 percent. In her election program, she placed an emphasis on the issues that the KO promised in its “100 specifics”, and to this day it has not achieved, among others, cheaper housing or liberalisation of abortion.
Mobilising for amendment
Detailed results of supplementary elections in Krakow may besides be a concern for the governing coalition due to mediocre attendance. It was 16.52%. Voting for Senators and Senators is never peculiarly breathtaking — even more so erstwhile it is simply a supplementary election. So you could say it could always be worse. And that on Friday and Saturday, erstwhile there was cold and rainy through Kraków, we would take a two-digit turnout in the dark.
However, if, as Prime Minister Tusk said, this election was to be a general test before the presidential election, then the ruling coalition has much to do with mobilizing the electorate to go to vote. Especially since competitors are discouragement among KO voters, the 3rd Way and the Left, they sense, and for a reason in the presidential campaign, that on May 18 will be the day of the referendum over Donald Tusk's government. And the result of this referendum will depend precisely on whose voters will become more crowded at the ballot boxes in 2 months.
