From Krakow to another cities
Reference action in Kraków is gaining momentum – according to reports Virtual Poland has already collected the required number of signatures needed to hold a referendum on the cancellation of president Alexander MiszaIski and the city council. The case begins to gain national significance, and the main parties observe it as a possible groundwork before next year's parliamentary elections, paying attention to the possible consequences of the possible cancellation of MiszaIski and the impact of akin initiatives in another major cities. According to the portal 1 of KO politicians, there is confusion besides in Wrocław, Łódź and Poznań.
On Friday, February 27, it will be a period after the start of the collection of signatures for the request for a referendum in Kraków. Although provisions require around 58 1000 signatures in 60 days, organizers can already consider the action a success – so far more than 73 1000 votes have been collected. The rate of collection has fallen slightly, but the interest of the inhabitants remains advanced and the goal remains to scope 100,000 signatures.
A noose for president?
The Civic Coalition has an ambivalent approach to a referendum initiative in Krakow. On the 1 hand, a large part of the politicians of this formation uncertainty the anticipation of recalling the President, on the another hand, the another part prepares for the script of its implementation. According to Virtual Poland's findings, the withdrawal of Bogdan Klich from the function of Ambassador to Washington is being considered and the election of president Krakow, which would aid resolve the civilian coalition dispute with president Karol Nawrock for ambassadorial nominations and exploit Klich's political possible in the capital of Małopolska.
But Klich is not the only choice. An anonymous politician KO betrayed the WP editor with another candidate:
Senator Monika Piątkowska is inactive being considered, but Klich would have won there in tusks. An intelligent man from Krakow, a beautiful opposition ethos, can be scrapped by the communicative that he returned from the States to save Krakow – he said.
Miszalski about “the hatred referendum”
When the referendum committee was registered at the end of January, president Aleksander Miszalski assessed that the initiative was political and a form of rematch after the losing elections. He suggested that the environment of the far right behind it and its electoral rivals, who, as he tried to convince, challenged his mandate even before swearing in.
Later, during a press conference, Miszalski decided to make an even bolder thesis:
How do these mediocre citizens have hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of dollars for the hatred run we're watching? Who's backing this? – asked rhetorically.
However, the subject of finance became a double-edged sword, hitting straight the president of Krakow. This was due to the fact that only a twelve hours after the beginning of the collection of Interia's signatures, she revealed that the city was planning to spend over PLN 1.5 million on printing an authoritative newspaper, which is expected to scope the boxes of inhabitants, which caused a wave of criticism. At the same time, the explanation of "political overtime" began to weaken erstwhile it turned out that the discontent of residents was real and massive – in the first hours 5,000 signatures were collected, and in 4 days as many as 20,000, and volunteers noted queues impossible to explain only organization mobilisation.
Trying to change the narrative? Not really.
Two days after the start of the collection of signatures, president Aleksander Miszalski and his deputies decided to change their tactics. They mediated the imagination of Kraków's improvement with housing investments, metros and the initiative "I can!" for 2026, while political facilities were online, discouraging residents to participate in the referendum and criticizing the organizers of the initiative.
Bartłomiej Kocurek on the network warned against giving the PESEL number to “ankieters”, suggesting the anticipation of extortion, while publishing a graphic with a character resembling the organizer of the referendum by Wojciech Jakubowski with vampire teeth. In consequence to the comment of the entrepreneur, Councilman Mariusz Szczygieł wished him "a falling sale".
Overcoming the threshold of 35,000 signatures prompted the president of Krakow to change the communication strategy – on 9 February a hashtag appeared on social media Done, inaugurating the run of successes, with graphics informing about the allocation of PLN 500 million for investments under the "Pact for Krakow Settlements". Although the transfer suggested the immediate spending of funds, the analysis of the city's archival communications indicates that most of the projects stay in the planning phase and the amount covers the period until 2028 on 11 February, on the date of the publication of the gathering of 45,000 signatures, Miszalski besides announced a "great correction" on the Clean Transport Zone, despite erstwhile assurances of postponement. The changes active individual rosads, and the effect of which was lost to Łukasz Franek, long-time manager of the Public Transport Board in Krakow and the main architect of the zone.
