Polish political celebrity Marianna Schreiber has launched her campaign for mayor of Kraków with a provocative video promising to restore what she calls ‘Polish normality’ to the city, pledging to remove Ukrainian flags from municipal buildings, reintroduce Christian symbols in schools, and defend traditional values in one of Poland’s most politically significant urban centres.
‘Polskość to normalność’ (‘Polishness is normality’), Schreiber declared in the official campaign video published on social media on Wednesday, 10 June. ‘To restore it, vote for me in the upcoming election.’ The video, which she said was financed from her own funds, places national identity, Christianity, and cultural conservatism at the centre of her campaign rather than traditional municipal issues.
Among the proposals presented in her programme are removing Ukrainian and European Union flags from public buildings, leaving only Polish national symbols, restoring crosses in schools, and resisting ‘progressive ideological influences’. The campaign has already attracted considerable attention in the Polish media, with some commentators describing it as one of the most controversial entries into the race.
Schreiber is one of Poland’s best-known social media personalities. She first gained national recognition through her marriage to former Law and Justice (PiS) minister Łukasz Schreiber, but has since built an independent public profile as an influencer, television personality, MMA fighter, and political activist. With hundreds of thousands of followers across social media platforms, she has become a prominent figure in Poland’s online conservative and nationalist circles.
Schreiber’s candidacy comes after a successful recall referendum removed the liberal mayor of Kraków, Aleksander Miszalski, in May, delivering a significant setback to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition (KO). Kraków residents voted overwhelmingly in favour of recalling the mayor, with 97.3 per cent of valid ballots supporting his removal. Miszalski had been elected only two years earlier and was widely regarded as one of KO’s flagship urban politicians, making the result particularly painful for Tusk’s governing camp.
‘Kraków residents voted overwhelmingly in favour of recalling the mayor, with 97.3 per cent of valid ballots supporting his removal’
The referendum emerged from growing public dissatisfaction with rising municipal charges, environmental restrictions, transport costs, parking fees, and perceptions that the city administration had become detached from ordinary residents. More than 130,000 signatures were ultimately collected in support of the recall effort, which received backing from both PiS and Konfederacja.
The race to replace Miszalski is expected to be crowded. On the right, one of the most prominent candidates is Marian Banaś, the former president of Poland’s Supreme Audit Office (NIK), who has confirmed his intention to run. PiS is backing Kraków city councillor Michał Drewnicki, while Konfederacja has nominated Bartosz Bocheńczak.
Schreiber is seeking to position herself as an outsider candidate appealing to nationalist and conservative voters dissatisfied with the political establishment.
Despite ideological similarities, Schreiber has already received criticism from parts of the right. Konfederacja’s Bocheńczak publicly dismissed her candidacy, arguing that Kraków requires a serious administrator rather than a political spectacle. He stated that he would not want the city to become a ‘circus arena’, a remark widely interpreted as a direct criticism of Schreiber’s celebrity-driven campaign style.
It is, however, more likely that the next mayor will once again come from the more liberal side of the political spectrum, as the Kraków electorate continues to lean in that direction. Former parliamentary candidate and local activist Łukasz Gibała is widely regarded as one of the frontrunners after narrowly losing the 2024 mayoral election to Miszalski.
Civic Coalition is expected to nominate a new candidate following Miszalski’s removal, while parties from Tusk’s broader governing coalition, including The Left, have also discussed fielding candidates.
‘Despite ideological similarities, Schreiber has already recieved criticism from parts of the right’
There has been no major survey of Kraków voting intentions published since the referendum. The only post-referendum polling available is a nationwide SW Research survey for Wprost, which asked Poles whom they would like to see as Kraków’s next mayor rather than measuring actual voting intentions among Kraków residents. In that poll, former president Andrzej Duda finished first; however, he has not signalled any intention to enter the race.
Under Polish law, the election must be held within 90 days of the referendum result, meaning residents are likely to return to the polls in late August, with a second round expected in September if no candidate secures an outright majority.
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