Poland News in English: Sunday, 25 October 2026

Częstochowa votes on recalling its mayor and council

Residents of Częstochowa vote today in a recall referendum that could remove both the city's mayor, Krzysztof Adam Matyjaszczyk, and its entire city council before the end of their term. Voting is taking place in 135 districts, with polling stations open until 21:00; results are expected overnight or on Monday morning, according to TVP INFO.

The referendum was initiated by a citizens' petition. Under the local referendum law, forcing the vote required signatures from at least 10 percent of eligible voters in the city - about 15,900 people. The petition was filed on 12 August and the electoral commissioner in Częstochowa set the referendum date on 2 September. For a recall vote to be binding, turnout must reach at least three-fifths of the turnout in the elections that seated the council, a threshold recall campaigns in Poland often fail to clear.

Częstochowa is not the only place voting today. The National Electoral Commission's calendar lists council by-elections in Ciasna, Szprotawa, Ruja, Jeżowe and Przemyśl, an early mayoral election in Górowo Iławeckie, and recall referendums targeting the mayor of Brzeg and local leaders in Podgórzyn, Rudziniec and Pakosławice.

Pełczyńska-Nałęcz expelled from Poland 2050

Two days after quitting the government, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz was expelled from her own party on Saturday. Szymon Hołownia, founder of Poland 2050 and leader of its parliamentary club, announced on X that the party's board had removed her for "acting to the detriment of the party and against the resolutions of its statutory bodies". Deputy digital affairs minister Michał Gramatyka, a Poland 2050 MP, confirmed the decision.

Pełczyńska-Nałęcz announced on Thursday evening that she was leaving Tusk's cabinet, where she served as minister for funds and regional policy, and stepping down as party leader, after a PSL bill to scrap the two-term limit for mayors was defeated only narrowly - with several coalition MPs, including six from her own party, voting to abolish the limit. Poland 2050 remains in the ruling coalition, but the public implosion of its leadership is the deepest internal crisis the government camp has seen this autumn.

Clocks went back overnight

Poland switched to winter time this morning: clocks moved from 03:00 back to 02:00 Central European Time, ending daylight saving time on the last Sunday of October as usual. Mornings are now lighter and evenings darker an hour earlier, with sunset in Warsaw before 16:30 by the end of next week.

Two practical notes for expats: the UK and Ireland changed their clocks the same night, so the Poland-UK gap stays at one hour. The United States and Canada do not switch until next Sunday, 1 November, so Poland is temporarily only five hours ahead of the US East Coast this week instead of the usual six.

New Poland-Sweden ferry delivered in Gdańsk

The Gdańsk Remontowa shipyard on Friday handed over the Bursztyn Unity, a new passenger-car ferry, to Unity Line (POLSCA Baltic Ferries), the maritime news service portalstoczniowy.pl reported. It is the second of three ferries being built in Gdańsk for Poland-Sweden routes and will join the Świnoujście-Ystad service after a christening ceremony in Szczecin.

Its sister ship, the Jantar Unity, has operated regular Baltic crossings since the start of this year. Once the Bursztyn Unity enters service it will be the twelfth vessel in the operator's fleet.

*Photos: CC BY-SA 4.0 by Fotoomnia via Wikimedia Commons: the Jasna Góra monastery in Częstochowa (cover); public domain by WrS.tm.pl via Wikimedia Commons: a ballot box in Poland's local elections of April 2024 (above; illustrative archive photo, not from today's vote). Stories verified against the sources below on 25 October 2026.*

Frequently asked questions

What are people in Częstochowa voting on today?

A recall referendum on removing Mayor Krzysztof Adam Matyjaszczyk and the entire city council before the end of their term. A citizens' petition collected the required 10 percent of eligible voters (about 15,900 signatures). Polls close at 21:00; results are expected overnight or on Monday morning. The recall is only binding if turnout reaches at least three-fifths of the turnout in the election that seated the council.

Did clocks change in Poland last night?

Yes. Poland ended daylight saving time on Sunday, 25 October 2026, moving clocks back from 03:00 to 02:00. The country is now on Central European Time (UTC+1) until the last Sunday of March 2027. The US and Canada switch a week later, on 1 November.

Is Poland 2050 still in the government coalition?

Yes. The party expelled its own leader, Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, on 24 October after she quit the cabinet over the mayoral term-limits vote, but Poland 2050 remains a member of Donald Tusk's ruling coalition.

Sources

• TVP INFO: Częstochowa recall referendum - districts, hours, results timing (25 October 2026)
• Państwowa Komisja Wyborcza - 25 October 2026 election calendar: Częstochowa referendum rules, petition figures, other votes
• Wyborcza.pl: Hołownia - Pełczyńska-Nałęcz removed from Poland 2050 (24 October 2026)
• timeanddate.com: Daylight Saving Time 2026 in Poland - clocks back 25 October
• portalstoczniowy.pl: Bursztyn Unity ferry delivered to Unity Line (23 October 2026)