-- UNOFFICIALLY, TURNOUT IN THE KRAKOW REFERENDUM WAS 29.99% (29.97% for the City Council). THIS MEANS THAT:
- The term of office for Aleksander Miszalski expires,
- The City Council remains (3554 votes were missing for its dissolution).
In the vote concerning the recall of the Mayor of Krakow, 176,228 ballots were issued, while the total number of valid votes was 175,212.

-- ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 23RD, THE STATUTORY 90 DAYS FOR HOLDING ELECTIONS IN KRAKOW EXPIRE. A potential second round would take place in September - on September 6th.

-- OGB ESTIMATED THE TURNOUT THRESHOLD AT 27-33% ON FRIDAY, WHICH MEANS THEY WERE SPOT ON:
https://x.com/LukasPawlowski/status/2058699081472430281?s=20

-- A POWERFUL WARNING FOR DONALD TUSK'S GOVERNMENT - MONIKA WALUŚ ON ONET: “Just as Donald Tusk's government could be a burden for Aleksander Miszalski, his recall will impact the ruling coalition. After Zabrze, the Prime Minister is now receiving his second yellow card. In football, this would mean leaving the field for the locker room. In politics, the consequences will be more drawn out. The Civic Coalition's defeat in Krakow will be an element of the campaign for the 2027 parliamentary elections. How significant and important it will be will depend on whether Tusk's party manages to retain power under Wawel this summer or hands the city over to the right.”
https://www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/referendum-w-krakowie-kolejna-zolta-kartka-dla-donalda-tuska/8g7w7dl,79cfc278

-- EXCHANGE OF WORDS BETWEEN ANNA MARIA ŻUKOWSKA AND KATARZYNA KOLENDA-ZALESKA:
Kolenda: A tough situation for Civic Coalition after Krakow.
Żukowska: Not a tough situation, but a thrashing.
https://x.com/KolendaK/status/2058628852318867659?s=20

-- NEW PIS SPOT: THE MOST IMPORTANT REFERENDUM IS STILL AHEAD OF US, GIBAŁA ON TUSK'S SUPPORT FOR MISZALSKI: THE CIVIC PLATFORM SHIELD IS NOW DRAGGING DOWN EVEN MAJOR CITIES, SO SUCH HELP IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE - 300LIVE:https://300polityka.pl/pl/live/2026-05-25

-- KRAKOW IS WAKING UP TO A NEW POLITICAL REALITY THAT MOST POLITICIANS DID NOT TAKE SERIOUSLY JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO - MAGDALENA KURSA AND MAŁGORZATA SKOWROŃSKA IN GW.

-- ONE OF THE MOST PAINFUL DEFEATS FOR THE CIVIC COALITION IN A MAJOR CITY - KURSA AND SKOWROŃSKA IN GW: “The referendum is one of the biggest political shocks in the history of modern Krakow and one of the most painful defeats for the Civic Coalition in a major city since Donald Tusk took power.”
https://krakow.wyborcza.pl/krakow/7,44425,32809478,polityczne-trzesienie-w-krakowie-prezydent-aleksander-miszalski.html

-- THE WORST DAY FOR CIVIC COALITION SINCE JUNE 1, 2025 - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “If the exit poll results from Krakow and the later late poll are confirmed, May 25th may turn out to be the worst day for the Civic Coalition since June 1st of last year. The referendum result in Krakow, if the late poll results are confirmed, will be the most serious political warning for the Civic Coalition since the presidential elections. Tusk and the Civic Coalition face the risk of losing trust beyond the right-wing electorate. The referendum in Krakow could lead to the creation of political dynamics that are very unfavorable to the ruling party.”

-- HE WAS RECALLED BY THE VOTES OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NON-RIGHT-WING VOTERS. AND THIS IS A BAD PROGNOSIS FOR THE CIVIC COALITION AND DONALD TUSK - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “Assuming full mobilization of right-wing voters, the Mayor of Krakow, who is also the head of the Civic Coalition's Małopolska structures, was recalled by the votes of tens of thousands of non-right-wing voters. Non-right-wing, but so disappointed with his governance that they decided to go and participate in the referendum on this beautiful Sunday. And this is precisely a bad prognosis for the Civic Coalition and Donald Tusk.”
https://www.rp.pl/komentarze/art44444571-michal-szuldrzynski-referendum-w-krakowie-najgorszy-dzien-dla-ko-od-1-czerwca-2025-roku

-- THE DEVASTATING REFERENDUM RESULT IS NOT JUST A LOCAL DEFEAT FOR THE CIVIC COALITION - IT'S A BLOW TO TWO PILLARS CRUCIAL FOR ITS CORE ELECTORATE: DISAPPOINTMENT AND UNDERMINED FAITH IN EFFECTIVENESS - BARBARA BRODZIŃSKA-MIROWSKA IN WP: “The Krakow verdict strikes at two pillars crucial for the Civic Coalition's core electorate: it touches deep disappointment and undermines faith in effectiveness, which voters of this party strongly expect. If these emotions solidify, in 2027, the Civic Coalition will not be able to count on the same level of mobilization that voters showed in 2023.”

-- THE PAST WEEKEND WAS RICH IN EVENTS UNFAVORABLE TO THE RULING PARTIES - WP CONTINUES: “The past weekend was rich in events unfavorable to the ruling parties: from the image crisis related to the false alarm in President Nawrocki's family's apartment, to Aleksander Miszalski's ignominious defeat.”
https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/krakow/krakowski-znak-ostrzegawczy-opinia-7289488543451296a

-- DOMAŃSKI A CANDIDATE IN KRAKOW? - ŁUKASZ SZPYRKA AND DAWID SERAFIN IN INTERIA: “For a long time, there has been speculation under Wawel that Aleksander Miszalski could be replaced by the experienced Bogdan Klich, who is currently abroad. Monika Piątkowska is another name appearing in the running. The politician from Krakow is indeed in campaign mode, as she recently ran in a supplementary Senate election and was successful. Andrzej Domański rounds out the field; although he is a recognizable politician, he currently holds the office of Minister of Finance, so it is unlikely he would resign. Local politicians such as Dominik Jaśkowiec or Łukasz Sęk are considered to have fewer chances.”
https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/malopolskie/news-kto-po-miszalskim-po-referendum-rusza-gielda-nazwisk-w-krako,nId,23486808

-- GIBAŁA IS THE FAVORITE - MAGDALENA KURSA IN GW: “Although Łukasz Gibała strongly supported the referendum (also financially), he has not yet publicly declared whether he intends to participate in the next election after Aleksander Miszalski's recall. - Łukasz Gibała will make a decision at the appropriate time. Certainly not before new elections for the Mayor of Krakow are officially announced - Renata Ropska, Gibała's press office director, tells us.”

-- AMONG POTENTIAL CANDIDATES, KURSA MENTIONS DUDA AND BRAUN:
https://krakow.wyborcza.pl/krakow/7,44425,32753842,ruszyla-gielda-nazwisk-kto-w-kolejce-po-urzad-prezydenta.html

-- A BLACK DAY FOR KRAKOW AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT. REFERENDUM IS A TOOL OF DESTRUCTION IN THE HANDS OF SCHEMERS - JANUSZ MAJCHEREK IN CONVERSATION WITH MAGDALENA KURSA IN GW: “What happened in Krakow shows that recall referendums have become a tool of pure destruction in the hands of various schemers, cunning individuals, and manipulators, allowing them to annul election results and block the system of governance in local self-governments.”

-- AS PART OF HIS RAMBLINGS, MAJCHEREK CALLS GIBAŁA A BROWN-SHIRT PROPONENT: “- He is a man without backing, without a concrete and defined vision for Krakow. All his activity has boiled down to opposing those who govern Krakow; previously, his target was Jacek Majchrowski, then Aleksander Miszalski. Krakow in Gibała's hands is a great danger, especially if he relies on confederates, people associated with Braun, or people who stirred up the referendum. The city faces a dangerous turn towards brown-shirt circles - warns Janusz Majcherek.”
https://krakow.wyborcza.pl/krakow/7,44425,32809884,janusz-majcherek-to-czarny-dzien-dla-krakowa-i-polskiego-samorzadu.html

-- A WAKE-UP CALL FOR MANY PRESIDENTS IN POLAND - PROF. JAROSŁAW FLIS IN CONVERSATION WITH MILENA KUCHNIA IN GW: “It is evident that voters are easier to mobilize now than before. This is a new quality, considering, for example, the turnout in the Łódź referendum in 2010 – 22%. The positive function of a referendum is that it is a deterrent hanging over the rulers. But the referendum in Krakow is a real wake-up call for many presidents in Poland. The belief that once you are president, you have God by the tail and don't need to worry about anything anymore, has just vanished. Rulers never have enough lessons in humility.”
https://krakow.wyborcza.pl/krakow/7,44425,32809874,referendum-w-krakowie-jaroslaw-flis.html

-- CONTRARY TO WHAT THE PRIME MINISTER SAID IN PARLIAMENT IN DECEMBER AND APRIL, AND WHICH WAS LATER REPEATED BY MEDIA FAVORABLE TO HIM, THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE OF ZONDACRYPTO'S CONNECTIONS TO RUSSIA - SZYMON JADCZAK:
https://x.com/SzJadczak/status/2058776452020002999?s=20

-- WE TRIED TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT INFORMATION ABW PROVIDED TO THE HEAD OF THE POLISH GOVERNMENT. UNSUCCESSFULLY - SZYMON JADCZAK AND KAROLINA WYSOTA IN MONEY: “According to our findings, the Russian connections that the Prime Minister spoke about, and which the media analyzed, do not exist. But we tried to find out exactly what information ABW provided to the head of the Polish government. Unsuccessfully. The Chancellery of the Prime Minister is not responding to Virtual Poland's questions on this matter at all (we have filed a complaint with the court against the inaction of officials). Simultaneously, we tried to obtain information from the Internal Security Agency and the Ministry of Interior and Administration. Without success.”
https://www.money.pl/finanse/rosja-wyparowala-z-zondacrypto-co-naprawde-abw-powiedziala-premierowi-7288669167859872a.html

-- POLISH TRUCKS ARE LOSING THE EUROPEAN MARKET - RZ: “In the first quarter of 2026, almost as many transport companies ceased operations as in the entire previous year.”
https://pro.rp.pl/raporty-ekonomiczne/art44439031-hamuje-branza-trzystu-tysiecy-tirow-polskie-ciezarowki-traca-europejski-rynek

-- BIRTHDAYS: Halina Rozpondek, Aldona Młyńczak.