Local elections 2024 – second round in Wrocław. Izabela Bodnar and the Third Way Convention

Izabela Bodnar, the Third Way candidate, will face the incumbent president Jacek Sutryk on April 21 in the second round of the Wrocław presidential elections. In the first round, Sutryk obtained 34.33 percent. votes, and Bodnar – 29.80 percent.

During Thursday's election convention, the candidate for president of Wrocław, Izabela Bodnar, was assured of the support of the Third Way leaders – Szymon Hołownia and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. They also spoke about support for her, among others: Rafał Dutkiewicz, Paulina Hennig-Kloska and Ryszard Petru.

See also: Fight for Wrocław: PO is not involved in Sutryk's campaign, Third Droga counts on Bodnar to win

The Third Way candidate for the mayor of Wrocław emphasized that Sunday's vote will have “fundamental importance for the direction of development and the style of governance in the city in the coming years.” She talked about cooperation with ministers regarding obtaining EU funds and in the field of environmental protection and education.

Read also: From banking to big politics. Who is Izabela Bodnar, who is fighting for the presidency of Wrocław

– All eyes throughout Poland are focused on Wrocław today. Why are these elections in Wrocław so fundamental? In my opinion, this is because here we have another episode after October 15: a clash of values ​​that we believe in and should be guided by, she said.

– The dispute in Wrocław is whether we will choose an open, transparent Wrocław, based on dialogue, cooperation, respect, competences, skills, or whether we will choose a continuation of the presidency of the governments that have been in place for the last 6 years. These governments have led us into a certain darkness of unclear interests and arrangements, said Bodnar.

During the press conference preceding the convention, Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment, argued that Izabela Bodnar is “the best choice for Wrocław”. – If the city is to develop more dynamically, it needs new energy and Izabela Bodnar can give the city this energy – she said.

Szymon Hołowna emphasized that the leaders of the Third Way did not come to Wrocław to lecture its inhabitants. – Each of them knows and feels their city, knows what it needs – said Hołownia. He emphasized that he came to say that “you should not be afraid of changes.” – Change is sometimes absolutely necessary to get to the side where something starts – said Hołownia.

He added that voting for Bodnar is a change that is “worth daring.” – Change can be safe, change can be something that leads us towards good in a safe way, change is what we are waiting for, which is the foundation of our lives – said Hołownia.

– There are hundreds of Wrocław residents in the room, hundreds of Wrocław residents who voted for Iza, who will come from this meeting and convince them to vote for her in the second round. They are the most important, the people of Wrocław and the women of Wrocław, emphasized Kosiniak-Kamysz.

The Minister of National Defense jokingly called Bodnar “the torpedo of change in Wrocław.” – We are already several dozen hours away from this victory. This last time you have to work really hard. (…) a social movement in Wrocław truly gathered around Iza Bodnar. This is not just a desire to say that “we don't like it”, but: “we are for something”. For something positive, moving forward – said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

The former long-time president of Wrocław, Rafał Dutkiewicz, who in 2018 named Jacek Sutryk as his successor, also took part in the Bodnar electoral convention.

– Jacek Sutryk recently said that Dutkiewicz's people should leave. He is right. He is the first on this list, Dutkiewicz emphasized. He mentioned the visit of the mayor of Breda, Wrocław's partner city. The occasion was to name one of the schools after General Maczek, who liberated Breda in 1944. According to Dutkiewicz, “Jacek Sutryk did not meet either the mayor of Breda or the children at school.”

He also criticized the current president of Wrocław, among others. for the liquidation of a company revitalizing tenement houses and the position of a city architect. According to him, it was also a mistake to resign from the function of the city conservator of monuments, because “the waiting time for a building permit is currently two and a half years in Wrocław, which is almost three times longer than in 2018.”

He emphasized that “change is needed” in Wrocław. – I am glad that we are the co-authors of the great change that took place on October 15 – he said, turning to Szymon Hołownia and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. – We have a candidate to make this change. This is Izabela Bodnar, whom I will vote for on April 21, Dutkiewicz declared.