Konrad Fijołek won in the second round of the presidential elections in the capital of Podkarpacie – according to an Ipsos poll for Polsat, TVN and TVP. He won 56.1 percent. votes. His rival Waldemar Szumny had 43.9 percent.
Konrad Fijołek /Darek Delmanowicz /PAP
Shortly after the announcement of the survey results, Fijołek said: For me, this fight in the campaign until the very end is a signal that I have to work even more and I will work even more. He emphasized that “the campaign was probably the most difficult in his life.”
Fijołek: This campaign was the most difficult in my life
Konrad Fijołek – the incumbent president of Rzeszów – was the favorite in these elections. In the first round, he decisively won against PiS candidate Waldemar Szumny (37.91% to 23.24%). He entered the elections with the support of KO, the New Left and Poland 2050. Before the second round, he was also supported by the People’s Party.
He is 47 years old, a sociologist by education, he has been a member of the city council since 2002 and was also its vice-chairman.
He has been in power in Rzeszów since June 2021, when he won the early elections. He replaced President Tadeusz Ferenc, whose close associate he was. The entire opposition at that time stood behind Fijołek. He won the election in the first round, obtaining 56 percent. support. Now it is supported by, among others, PO, New Left and Poland 2050.
Fijołek went to the elections with the same slogan as in 2021 – “Rzeszów is the most important.” During the campaign, he emphasized that he wanted to deal with, among others, reducing traffic jams in the city. He also declared the completion of projects started during the last term of office: the construction of the Podkarpackie Athletics Center, an aqua park and a road connector of Warszawska and Krakowska streets.
Election results in the second round /RMF FM
Waldemar Szumny /Darek Delmanowicz /PAP
Waldemar Szumny fought for the president of Rzeszów on behalf of Law and Justice. After the election results were announced, he said that no matter what the final result would be, he was convinced “that this is our huge success.”
Szumny: Regardless of the final result, it is a huge success for us
He is 55 years old. He is a mathematician by education and has been employed in the Office of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship Board for several years. Rzeszów city councilor for 26 years, vice-chairman since 2019. He has been active in PiS structures since 2001.
During the election campaign, he declared that he wanted to restore the city’s development dynamics and introduce solutions that would make life easier for its residents. He also promised an annual public transport ticket for PLN 365. His election slogan was: “Rzeszów. It can be done.”
In the first round he obtained 23.24 percent. votes, and his rival Konrad Fijołek – 37.91 percent. Before the official results were announced, it seemed that the PiS candidate would not make it to the second round. According to exit poll results, he was only third, behind the candidate of the “Together for Rzeszów” Association, Jacek Strojny. However, the National Electoral Commission’s result was verified by a poll conducted on election night.