Organized by TVP, TVN and Polsat, the debate between presidential candidates may be crucial to the conclusion of the campaign. The reservations to its organisation and the co-chairing selection of TVP brought in 8 electoral committees; in turn, TVP took the position of drawing the order of candidates' statements.
On Monday at 8:00 p.m., the last debate of presidential candidates began on TVP before the first circular of elections. The gathering is hosted by Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf (TVP), Radomir Wit (TVN24) and Piotr Witwicki (Polsat News).
Committee reservations
Vice-President of Law and Justice Mateusz Kurzejewski and PiS MP Andrzej Śliwka at the Monday press conference in front of TVP informed that the presidential candidate supported by PiS Karol Nawrocki would participate in the debate, even though, as they assessed, it would take place under unfair conditions and "although it would be guided by the face of the worst propaganda in TVP in liquidation".
Vice-President of the Law and Justice organization said that the principles of debate staff received on Sunday late afternoon. "That is 24 hours before the event, which evidently makes it hard to prepare effectively. We have specified a supposition, bordering on the fact that Trzaskowski's staff received these rules much earlier, along with questions that would be asked by editor Dorota Wysock-Schnepf" - he said.
Kurzejewski pointed out that 2 weeks ago, during the staff's organizational gathering with the TVP authorities regarding the organisation of the debate, 8 staff opposed that the debate would be conducted by Wysocka-Schnepf and wanted TVP to elect another journalist. PiS politician added that the staff waited almost 2 weeks for news from TVP in this case and "it turned out that the voice of the vast majority of election committees was ignored".
The politician estimated that in the evening "the neo-debate organized by TVP in liquidation will begin". "That is another event organized for the Rafał Trzaskowski campaign" - he said referring to the earlier debate in Koński.
"We thought, possibly naively, that the management of TVP would come to head (...), but nothing more wrong. We will one more time gotta deal with political hucpa, cabaret and activities to aid Rafał Trzaskowski" - he argued.
MP Plum argued that Wysocka-Schnepf is "politically related to PO". "Today it turns out that this woman who runs programs that have nothing to do with journalism, due to the fact that she is more like this propaganda that is being carried out behind our east border, will be conducting a debate" - he said. "This shows how Rafał Trzaskowski, this shaking like jelly, must defend Mrs Schnepf in this debate" - he added.
The plum besides referred to the issue of drawing the order of speeches during the debate. "The draw of Rafał Trzaskowski as the 1 who in 5 rounds, in the last 3 rounds responds last, it must be said that the chances were little than percentage" - said Plum.
"Political Battle"
During Monday's press conference under TVP, Confederate politicians: head of the Seym Club Grzegorz Płaczek and Mentzen's run spokesperson Wojciech Machulski besides expressed their opposition to Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf, as a writer co-chairing the debate. According to Machulski, "she is not an nonsubjective journalist" and she created many materials that straight hit any presidential candidates.
MP Płaczek noted that Wysocka-Schnepf received the SDP award "Hiena 2024". According to him, the allegations made at her address are "no journalistic sense and deficiency of integrity and journalistic integrity."
"We have a political conflict ahead of us" - said Płaczek. Therefore, as he added, the choice of journalists conducting the debate is crucial due to the fact that it affects both the order in which candidates will answer the questions of journalists and who will ask these questions. "We know very well that journalists can manipulate. Just see the list of these leading, supposedly independent journalists of Polish Television" - emphasised Płaczek. At the same time, he announced that Sławomir Mentzen would take on gloves and participate in a Monday debate on TVP.
Machulski stressed that 8 electoral committees had raised a full of opposition to Wysocka-Schnepf. According to him, it was, among others, the staff supported by the Law and Justice of Karol Nawrocki, the unpartisan staff of Krzysztof Stanowski, MP of Free Republicans Marek Jakubiak, or economist Joanna Senyszyn.
According to Machulski, TVP "swinded all the staffs at the organisation of the debate" because, as he said, after almost half an hr of discussion of the staff from TVP, on this subject possible change of individual conducting the Monday debate, programme manager of the tv Information Agency Grzegorz Sajór promised that the Polish tv Board would take the appropriate decision on the debate, reconsider the substance again and forward this information to all the staff. "Despite the passing of 2 weeks, no specified decision has been made" - explained Machulski.
"We only received yesterday (from TVP) the rules of this debate one more time with updated cosmetic changes. And that's where the editor goes. At the time, we did not receive any decision despite Mr. Program Director's promise. (...) Here we have submitted a proposal to exclude editor Wysocka-Schnepf due to the fact that she does not give guarantees of nonsubjective debate. This was completely ignored by the Polish Television, which was to introduce fresh quality" - he emphasized.
The chief of staff of candidate KO Rafał Trzaskowski Wioletta Paprock on platform X indicated that representatives of all staff took part in the drawing of the order of questions.
"To all those describing conspiracy theories of today's debate: the drawing of the order of answers to questions and free speech at the end was in the presence of the staffs and it was the staff representatives who drew the draw. We start the last week before I turn and I see that we all gotta have quite a few strength" - wrote Paprocka.
From the railway, 1 of Radom Wit's co-deputies of the debate included a photograph of the draw protocol on X, on which the signatures of the representatives of all the staff are on. "Vit.
In the post sent to PAP, Polish tv indicated that "the drawing of the order of the candidates' statements was carried out by representatives of the staff of candidates for the office of president of the Republic of Poland and was conducted in accordance with all principles of fairness and transparency". "We stress that all the staffs accepted the selected order of candidates' statements, and the minutes were signed by representatives of all the staffs – nobody objected" - added.
Rafał Trzaskowski posted an entry on the X platform on Monday, in which he confirmed his participation in the Monday debate organised by TVP. “Last week before the first circular of elections. Another presidential debate. See you at 8:00" - he wrote.
The presidential election will take place on May 18. Any second circular will be held on 1 June.
PAP
