The race includes both seasoned politicians and outsiders from various backgrounds, spanning the political spectrum from the left to the far right. Find out who is running for the highest office in Poland and what requirements they must meet to officially register their candidacy.
Poland's 2025 presidential election: key dates and candidates' requirements
The Polish presidential election will take place on May 18, 2025, with a potential runoff scheduled for June 1. According to the election calendar, the deadline for registering electoral committees with the National Electoral Commission is March 24, 2025.
Candidates must first collect 1,000 signatures to establish their electoral committee and then gather the required 100,000 signatures of support by April 8, 2025, to be officially registered.
Below is a list of candidates who have publicly declared their intention to run and are currently collecting signatures to meet the formal requirements. The names are presented in alphabetical order.
Candidates for Poland's 2025 presidential election (updated February 1)
From left to right in the top row: Magdalena Biejat, Grzegorz Braun, Katarzyna Cichos, Szymon Hołownia, Marek Jakubiak. In the bottom row from left: Wiesław Lewicki, Maciej Maciak, Sławomir Mentzen, Karol Nawrocki and Wojciech Papis (Photo: Public domain)
Magdalena Biejat (43 years old) – Deputy Speaker of the Senate (upper house of the Polish Parliament), supported by the New Left party. She holds a degree in sociology from Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
Grzegorz Braun (58 years old) – Politician from the Confederation of the Polish Crown, a far-right party, Member of the European Parliament, director, and publicist. Known for his controversial actions, such as extinguishing a menorah with a fire extinguisher in the Polish Parliament. He graduated in Polish Philology from the University of Wrocław.
Katarzyna Cichos (38 years old) – Doctor of Law, independent candidate. She studied law at the University of Warsaw.
Szymon Hołownia (48 years old) – Leader of the Poland 2050 party, supported by the Polish People's Party (PSL). He has a secondary school education. He is currently serving as Speaker of the Sejm and has previously been a publicist for Newsweek and a presenter for the Polish edition of the popular TV show X Factor.
Marek Jakubiak (65 years old) – Representative of the Free Republics, entrepreneur, and former member of parliament. He graduated from the Wrocław Academy of Military Engineering.
Wiesław Lewicki (55 years old) – Leader of the "Normal Country" party, founded in 2015 following a split from the "Republicans" association, and vice-president of the Congress of the New Right.
Maciej Maciak (54 years old) – Leader of the Movement for Prosperity and Peace, entrepreneur. He has a secondary school education.
Sławomir Mentzen (38 years old) – Representative of the Confederation party, entrepreneur, and politician. He holds a PhD in economics and graduated from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
Karol Nawrocki – President of the Institute of National Remembrance, an independent candidate who has received support from the right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS). He holds a PhD in history from the University of Gdańsk.
Wojciech Papis (55 years old) – Independent entrepreneur from the wood and construction industries, member of the Mazovian Community of Local Governments.
From top left to right: Joanna Senyszyn, Aldona Skirgiełło, Krzysztof Stanowski, and Piotr Szumlewicz. In the bottom row, from left to right: Rafał Trzaskowski, Marek Woch, Adrian Zandberg, with the Polish flag in the background (Photo: Public domain)
Joanna Senyszyn (76 years old) – Left-wing politician, formerly associated with the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), now an independent candidate. She is a professor of economics and graduated from the University of Gdańsk.
Aldona Anna Skirgiełło (47 years old) – Candidate from the Self-Defense party. She is a breeder of Gypsy horses and a specialist in the racing industry, having studied at the University of Cambridge. She is a reality TV star from the show Żony Podlasia and author of the book Aldona z Podlasia.
Krzysztof Jakub Stanowski (42 years old) – Sports journalist and owner of the popular Kanał Zero YouTube channel. He has a secondary school education. He has stated that he does not intend to become president, but instead, promises "good fun" and aims to expose the inner workings of Polish politics, which he believes mainly mocks the citizens.
Piotr Szumlewicz (49 years old) – Trade union activist and left-wing publicist, one of the founders of Krytyka Polityczna (though he left the group in 2003). He is engaged in workers' rights advocacy and leads the Zawodowa Alternatywa trade union. He holds degrees in sociology and philosophy from the University of Warsaw.
Rafał Trzaskowski (53 years old) – Mayor of Warsaw, candidate from the Civic Coalition. He holds a PhD in humanities, having studied international relations and English philology at the University of Warsaw, as well as at the College of Europe in Natolin. He has previously served as an MEP, Minister of Administration and Digitization, and Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Marek Woch (45 years old) – Doctor of Law and local government official, president of the National Federation of "Non-Partisans and Local Government Officials." He graduated from the University of Warsaw.
Adrian Zandberg (45 years old) – Historian and programmer, co-chair of the left-wing Razem party. He holds a PhD in humanities and graduated from the University of Warsaw.
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