The State Electoral Commission (PKW) has so far registered 28 committees for presidential candidates. Two more committees—those of Krzysztof Sitko and Jakub Perkowski—are awaiting registration.
Committees Registered So Far
The PKW has received 30 notifications about the creation of presidential candidate committees to date. Of these, 28 have been registered. These include committees for Karol Nawrocki (a civic candidate supported by PiS), Magdalena Biejat (Left), Marek Jakubiak (MP from the Free Republicans group), Maciej Maciak (leader of the Prosperity and Peace Movement associated with Włocławek), Marek Woch (candidate of the Nonpartisan Local Government Officials), Sławomir Mentzen (candidate of the Confederation), and Rafał Trzaskowski (Mayor of Warsaw and candidate of the Civic Coalition).
Other registered committees include those of Grzegorz Braun (an MEP expelled from the Confederation), Szymon Hołownia (Speaker of the Sejm and candidate of the Third Way), Adrian Zandberg (MP and candidate of the Razem party), Wiesław Lewicki (leader of the Normal Country party), Wojciech Papis (Nonpartisan candidate), Romuald Starosielec (candidate of the Movement for the Restoration of Poland), and Paweł Tanajno (candidate of the Liberal Entrepreneurs PL). Additionally, committees for Dawid Jackiewicz (former Minister of State Treasury under Beata Szydło), Aldona Skirgiełło (candidate of Self-Defense, known from the “Wives of Podlasie” program), Dominika Jasińska (trainer of Nonviolent Communication and mediator), Joanna Senyszyn (former SLD MP, economist, and academic teacher), Krzysztof Tołwiński (candidate of the Front party, former Deputy Minister of State Treasury under Jarosław Kaczyński, and former PiS MP), and Piotr Szumlewicz (chairman of the Trade Union Alternative) have been registered.
Committees Awaiting Registration
The PKW has also accepted notifications about the creation of committees for candidates such as Eugeniusz Maciejewski (chairman of the PIAST party – Unity of European Nations’ Thought), Katarzyna Cichos (doctor of legal sciences, initiator of the Platform for Poland’s Development), Jan Kubań (president of the Polish-American Foundation for Economic Education and Development), Włodzimierz Rynkowski (chairman of the Slavic Union party), Marcin Bugajski (political scientist), Artur Bartoszewicz (economist), Kamil Całek (social, political, and sports activist), and Jolanta Duda (financial expert).
Still awaiting registration are the committees of Krzysztof Andrzej Sitko (Social Alternative) and Jakub Perkowski (Federation for the Republic).
One Candidate Officially Registered
So far, the PKW has registered only one presidential candidate—Sławomir Mentzen. His application was submitted to the PKW on January 30.
According to the electoral calendar, the deadline for notifying the PKW about the creation of presidential candidate committees is March 24. Presidential elections differ from others in that committees can only be formed by voters, not by political parties or their coalitions.
After collecting 1,000 signatures in support of a candidate, the committee’s representative notifies the PKW of the committee’s creation. Only after the committee is registered by the PKW can it begin campaigning.
The next step in the presidential campaign is the nomination of a candidate, with the deadline set for April 4 (Friday) at 4:00 PM. To register a candidate, the PKW requires a minimum of 100,000 supporting signatures.
The presidential elections will take place on May 18. If necessary, a second round will be held on June 1.