Zabrze. President Agnieszka Rupniewska dismissed in a referendum, the City Council stays

The inhabitants of Zabrze voted on Sunday in the referendum for dismissing the position of President Agnieszka Rupniewska. Due to too low attendance, city councilors do not have to be afraid of jobs.

116.9 thousand people were entitled to vote. The referendum is important in the case of the president, because on Sunday over 3/5 of voters went to the Urns, who took part in her election in the second round in 2024. In her case, this threshold was 25.9 thousand. votes. In the Sunday referendum, 29 207 valid votes were cast, which means that the referendum was binding. 27,161 voters were in favor of Rupniewska's dismissal, 2 046 – against.

For a referendum on the dismissal of the City Council, approx. 29.6 thousand were needed. votes. Meanwhile, according to the summed data from all peripheral committees on Sunday, 29 106 were cast in this matter, of which 26,551 voters voted for this way, and 2,555. In this case, 3/5 voters' attendance threshold was not achieved.

The result of the referendum means that the early elections of President Zabrze will have to take place.

Referendum in Zabrze. What did they accuse the president?

Voting began at 7 and it lasted until 21. Participants of the referendum received two cards, on one there was a question about the dismissal before the end of the term of office of Rupniewska, on the other – the City Council.

Among the reasons for the dismissal of the President of Zabrze and the City Council, the referendum group mentioned, among others group layoffs in local government unitsincreases in local fees, resignation from the organization of cyclical cultural events and the prolonged privatization process of Górnik Zabrze. Agnieszka Rupniewska defended herself against the allegations, indicating that she took over the city in a very bad financial situation and had to save it from bankruptcy.

A few weeks before the Sunday referendum, she declared that she wanted to work for Zabrze for 10 years, not 10 months. She announced that she would not take part in the referendum, because she does not intend to enter into the script of the former Zabrze authorities, which – in her opinion – do not think about the good of the city, but return to power. She said that she took over the budget from them, in which there was a lack of PLN 228 million until the end of 2024, and the debt reached almost 1.4 million.

In 2024, the Civic Coalition won the most seats in the city council – 11. Five fell to representatives of better Zabrze Kamil Żbikowski, and four law and justice and committee of Małgorzata Mańki -Szulik. One representative was introduced by the Zabrze social initiative.

Rupe Rupniewska to power

Agnieszka Rupniewska won the local government election in 2024 as the candidate of KWW Civic Coalition. Although she started with the support of the KO, it does not belong to any political party. In the second round she received 57.85 percent votes. She defeated her long-term predecessor Małgorzata Mańka-Szulik, who managed the city since 2006.

Earlier, Rupniewska spent one term in the Zabrze City Council. In 2018, she also met in the second round of local elections with Małgorzata Mańka -Szulik, but she lost – she received 48.41 percent. votes. She graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Silesia. Before taking office, she managed a private company from the industrial industry.

Third such referendum

This is the third referendum in the Śląskie Voivodeship, which ended with the dismissal of local government authorities. Previously, in 2009, the inhabitants dismissed the President of Częstochowa Tadeusz Wrona, in 2012 President Bytom Piotr Koło together with the City Council.

Without success in 2009, attempts were made to dismiss the President of Gliwice Zygmunt Frankiewicz along with the City Council, in 2012 the President of Ruda Śląska Grażyna Dziedzic together with the City Council, and in 2017 President of Bytom Damian Bartyla. In all three cases, the turnout during the referendum turned out to be too low.

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