Dulkiewicz is Gdańsk's new mayor
Roughly six weeks after the deadly knife attack against mayor Paweł Adamowicz the people of Gdańsk have elected Aleksandra Dulkiewicz as his successor by a large majority. She was already deputy mayor, and served as acting mayor after his death. What does her election portend?
A good choice for Gdańsk
Aleksandra Dulkiewicz is the right mayor for Gdańsk, journalist Edwin Bendyk writes on his blog for Polityka:
“This election result comes as no surprise. It confirms the strong support for Dulkiewicz (82 percent, with a voter turnout of 48.6 percent). This support is crucial for Dulkiewicz, so that she can continue the legacy of Paweł Adamowicz's term in office - which was so brutally cut short - while at the same time developing her own ideas for the city. Let's not forget that for the first time in Gdańsk's 1,000-year history a woman is at the helm. ... Dulkiewicz will lead an orderly city with active and demanding citizens who are proud of their place of residence. And she's taking office in a special year in which European and parliamentary elections will take place.”
This city is a special case
People shouldn't hope that there will be a political turnaround in Poland, the Süddeutsche Zeitung warns:
“The result does not portend what will happen in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament, the Polish parliament or the presidential election. Because the Dulkiewicz phenomenon will be confined to Gdańsk, a city that expressly sees itself as liberal and cosmopolitan. At the national level other issues will be important in the Polish election year: whether the divided opposition will present appealing ideas and be able to form an effective alliance. Whether the Poles will get angry about the anti-democratic manoeuvres and increasingly obvious corruption in the government. And whether the populist buying of votes, for example through expanded child benefits, will have the desired effect and thus determine the country's future.”