More than 18,000 signatures collected in Gliwice to recall city leader — Interia

In the Polish city of Gliwice, the collection of signatures for a referendum on recalling Mayor Katarzyna Kuczyńska-Budka has been completed. The initiators from the Gliwice 2026 association said they had collected more than 18,000 signatures. As Interia reports, they must now be officially verified.

Required signature threshold

To call a referendum, signatures from at least 10% of eligible voters are required. In Gliwice, this threshold is 12,700 valid signatures. The verification results will determine whether a vote on recalling the city leader takes place.

Kuczyńska-Budka was elected mayor of Gliwice in 2024. In the second round, she received 50.56% of the vote. Previously, she worked as a city councillor, a local and state-level official, and a journalist. She is the wife of Civic Coalition Member of the European Parliament Borys Budka.

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Initiators' grievances

The referendum organizers claim that the city leader is managing Gliwice improperly and has chosen the wrong direction for its development. Among their grievances is the abandonment of plans to build a new hospital after public funds had been spent on the project. Instead, Kuczyńska-Budka proposed creating an academic hospital jointly with the Medical University of Silesia.

The initiators also accuse the city authorities of improper management of funds, including excessive spending on promotion and the restoration of the Victoria Theatre. They claim that election promises have not been fulfilled, that there is no vote of confidence from the city council, and that city council members have limited access to documents of municipal companies. According to the publication, Kuczyńska-Budka stressed that her actions comply with the program on which she ran in 2024 and that the decisions are part of Gliwice's long-term development strategy.