On Thursday, October 22, Sejm did not adopt a bill amending the Electoral Code that was intended to abolish the limit on the number of terms served by city and municipality heads. In favor of adopting the changes voted 213 MPs, 215 voted against, while 9 abstained. A total of 437 parliamentarians took part in the vote.

The decision means that the two-term rule remains in force. It is also directly relevant to Bolesławiec and the possibility of the incumbent city president running again.

What does this mean for Piotr Roman?

Piotr Roman has led Bolesławiec since 2002. In 2024, he was re-elected city president. Although he has held office for considerably longer than two terms, the statutory limit is counted only from the 2018 local elections. Earlier terms are not included in the calculation.

In his case, the terms that count toward the limit are therefore those that began after the 2018 and 2024 elections. If the current regulations remain in force, he will not be able to seek re-election as Bolesławiec city president in 2029.

Rejecting the bill does not shorten the current term of the city president. Nor does it mean that the law cannot be changed before the next elections. It does mean, however, that the proposal considered by Sejm did not open the way for him to run again.

Czy dwukadencyjność powinna wciąż obowiązywać?

How did MPs from our region vote?

All MPs from District No. 1, which includes the Jelenia Góra–Legnica region, took part in the vote. Seven supported the bill abolishing the two-term limit, while five voted against it. None of this group abstained.

Those who voted against adopting the bill, that is, in favor of retaining the two-term limit, were:

  • Krzysztof Kubów,
  • Marzena Machałek,
  • Szymon Pogoda,
  • Elżbieta Witek,
  • Wojciech Zubowski.

Those who voted in favor of adopting the bill, that is, in favor of abolishing the two-term limit, were:

  • Piotr Borys,
  • Zofia Czernow,
  • Łukasz Horbatowski,
  • Iwona Krawczyk,
  • Robert Kropiwnicki,
  • Tadeusz Samborski,
  • Arkadiusz Sikora.

This was a vote on the bill as a whole, rather than on a motion to reject it. Therefore, a “for” vote meant support for changing the regulations, while an “against” vote meant opposition to adopting the bill.

What did the bill provide for?

The bill prepared by PSL MPs provided for removing from the Electoral Code the provision preventing a person who had previously been elected twice to the office in the same municipality from running again for village head, town mayor or city president.

The sponsors argued that residents should decide in elections whether someone could continue to hold office. They also proposed allowing candidates for city and municipality head positions to run simultaneously for county council or regional assembly.

The bill failed to secure the required majority. Consequently, the restriction introduced in 2018 remains in force.