A campaign to collect signatures for a petition calling for a referendum to recall Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski is set to begin in Warsaw. The signature drive is scheduled to start in mid-July, while the vote – if it ultimately takes place – could be held in early December. The capital’s mayor, however, insists that there will be no “paralysis of the city.” Still, it is hard to ignore the fact that he has not had approval ratings this low among Warsaw residents for a long time.
The plans were announced by the organizers of the initiative – the Warsaw Referendum Operation, which published the campaign schedule on its website.
According to the timetable, the signature collection will begin in mid-July and continue until mid-September. A 30-day verification process will then follow. Under the proposed schedule, the referendum should be officially announced in mid-October and held in early December.
The Mayor of Warsaw was asked about the planned referendum on Wednesday. Rafał Trzaskowski assured reporters that the city would continue to function normally. “I understand that some opposition politicians would like to see Warsaw paralyzed, but there will be no paralysis. I intend to continue implementing changes in the city center as well as across all 18 districts,” the mayor said.
How Many Signatures Are Needed?
Calling a referendum requires meeting specific legal conditions. For the referendum to be held, signatures from 10 percent of Warsaw’s eligible voters are required – approximately 132,000 people.
For the referendum itself to be valid, voter turnout must also reach the required threshold. The minimum turnout is set at three-fifths of the number of voters who participated in the last local elections – approximately 450,000 people.
It is worth recalling that Warsaw has already held such a referendum. In October 2013, residents voted on whether to recall the city’s then-mayor, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz. The organizers accused her of, among other things, poor management of public transportation, fare increases, chaos surrounding the city’s waste collection system, and delays in key infrastructure projects such as the construction of the Warsaw Metro and the Northern Bridge.
That referendum, however, was declared invalid due to low voter turnout. Only 25.66 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots, falling short of the 30 percent turnout threshold required at the time.