Local elections, Poland, 2024

This morning I travelled into Jeziorki to cast my votes in the Polish local elections. Four ballot slips – for Mayor of Warsaw, the Warsaw city council, the Ursynów district council, and the Mazovia provincial parliament. Polish democracy is alive and well; the polling station was full, maybe not as full as at the national parliamentary elections in October. Maybe of all the elections I have voted in since moving to Poland, this had the second-highest turnout. People with ballot papers were standing around waiting for a table to fill in the ballot papers. There were as many young people as old people voting, and the atmosphere was more festive than in October when voters were eyeing each other thinking "is he/she going to vote for the existential threat that is my political enemy?"

Today, in the spring sunshine, knowing that there's less at stake than the future of Poland (more autocratic or less autocratic?), the electorate still turned up en masse to take part in the due process of democracy. On the agenda today were bus lanes, rubbish collection and local infrastructure, rather than rule of law, women's rights and macroeconomic policy. Just as important to the way we live our lives.

Some local observations, then. Central Warsaw is booming. A modern, prosperous, safe, clean city (according to visiting Londoners), which has witnessed phenomenal growth. Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski was comfortably re-elected for a second term. Warsaw's outer suburbs – a story of sprawl. New estates, lacking in amenities, lacking even in asphalted roads in and out. No public transport, so everyone's condemned to car use, and cars are choking outer Warsaw. "We can't afford to live in Warsaw, because we've got the upkeep of two cars to pay for," is a usual moan. The idea of living in Warsaw, well-connected with public transport, but without a car, is too much of a stretch for most.

Further out, in Chynów, the pre-election campaigning, visible in the form of banners stretched out on fences, showed a strong preference for PSL, the agrarian party, now part of the PL2050 coalition. Posters and banners for PiS came second. Interestingly, a number of PSL banners were slashed – across the faces of the candidates. 

Decisions made at local level include planning permission, environmental protection, water, sewage and waste management, traffic management; these are all responsibilities of the gminas (municipalities).  At the poviat (district) level, powers include public transport, maintenance of district roads, land surveying and the issuing of work permits to foreigners. Powers at voivodship level are shared between the voivode (governor) appointed centrally by the prime minister; the sejmik (regional assembly) and the marshal, serving as the provincial chief executive. The voivode acts as the head of central government institutions at regional level (such as the police and fire services, passport offices, and various inspectorates). The sejmik passes by-laws, including the voivodship's development strategies and budget. It also elects the marshal and other members of the executive, and holds them to account. The executive, headed by the marshal, drafts the budget and development strategies, implements the resolutions of the sejmik, and deals with regional policy, including management of EU funding. 

Results tomorrow.

This time five years ago:
Morning flashback

This time eight years ago:
In which I learn to speak

This time nine years ago:
Sunshine and snow, Łazienki Park

This time ten years ago:
Shopping habits in the wake of Lidl's opening 

This time 11 years ago:
In vino veritas

This time 12 years ago:
Are we getting more intelligent?

This time 13 years ago:
Lenten recipe No. 6

This time 14 years ago:
Coal trains, Konstancin-Jeziorna

This time 15 years ago:
Jeziorki from the air