Michał Szczerba does not approve of Tobiasz Bocheński taking part in the Warsaw mayoral race. He suggested that Bocheński should run for mayor of Łódź, noting that Bocheński served as the voivode there for four years. Szczerba also forgot that Bocheński was once the Voivode of Mazovia, and he remains sharply critical of Rafał Trzaskowski’s performance as the current president of the capital.
PiS President Jarosław Kaczyński announced on Saturday that Tobiasz Bocheński would be the PiS candidate for the mayoral post in Warsaw during the local elections.
We are gathered here today because we share a belief in Warsaw moving toward success and hope. We meet to see a city that becomes more livable, more comfortable, and more modern with each passing year.
– Bocheński said at the PiS convention, criticizing the present leadership for a city that seems to develop beyond its own capabilities, mired in inertia and chaos.
He described Warsaw as a city that does not hear the voices of its residents and is hesitant and hostile to local referenda or public consultations. The PiS vision for Warsaw centers on optimism, involvement, cooperation, dialogue, and dynamism.
– the PiS candidate added.
READ ALSO: Dr. Bochenski scores Trzaskowski! The city is paying for the mistakes of its current president, with a council that seems deaf to residents.
Arrogant Toothless
Civic Platform figure Michał Szczerba told PAP that Bocheński’s election is unlikely to affect the outcome since PO candidate and current Warsaw President Rafał Trzaskowski is not expected to win.
Bocheński is currently perceived at about five percent recognition. Szczerba argued that Bocheński should consider running for the presidency of Łódź, where he previously held authority for four years. He teased that Bocheński should start there instead.
The remark overlooked the fact that Tobiasz Bocheński, a lawyer and academic, also served as the voivode of Mazovia, and it did not fully reflect the complexities of the capital’s situation. Bocheński was the Mazowieckie Province leader from April 18, 2023, to December 13, 2023, and from 2019 to 2023 he led the Łódź Province. Since autumn 2015 he has worked closely with Zbigniew Rau, who later became Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2019, taking on roles as assistant, advisor, and then director of the office of the Łódź Voivode. At 35, he holds a PhD in law and engages in research on political and legal doctrines. The municipal elections are scheduled for Sunday, April 7, with a potential second round on April 21.
Will the self confidence and perceived arrogance of PO’s Michał Szczerba determine the outcome of Warsaw’s mayoral race? Will Rafał Trzaskowski sleep peacefully? There is a growing sense among residents that the capital has endured traffic, road, and sewage issues for years. Will political loyalties decide the result, or will the majority evaluate the performance under Civic Platform rule more critically? A lot has happened. It is worth recalling the unresolved waste scandal and the much discussed release of city secretary Włodzimierz Karpiński to the European Parliament. He faced serious accusations linked to bribes and tender manipulation in waste processing. In that period residents paid high waste fees, and the city earned funds from them that were not properly allocated. The surplus from waste collection fees, some say, was a form of tribute taken from Warsaw residents, according to Bocheński from Mazovia. The question remains what other documents about the city hall led by Trzaskowski might reveal.
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— Tobiasz Bocheński is the PiS candidate for mayor of Warsaw. He is a former voivode of Mazovia and is deemed to meet the requirements.
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