A debate has begun, which may affect the result of the second circular of the 2025 presidential election. Rafał Trzaskowski, a candidate of the Civic Coalition, is taking part in an interview with Sławomir Mentzen as part of the popular cycle "Mentzen grills", broadcast live on YouTube.
Mentzen's different strategy
Sławomir Mentzen, leader of the Confederacy and third-place winner in the first circular with a consequence of over 2.9 million votes, did not decide to support any of the candidates directly. Instead, he invited them to his program to be "grilled" on his terms – and in his territory, that is, the network. specified a decision allows his electorate to measure for himself which candidate is closer to their views.
The first 1 answered the invitation was Karol Nawrocki, a candidate supported by the Law and Justice. His conversation with Mentzen took place on 22 May and attracted an awesome audience – 355,000 people followed her live. Nawrocki besides decided to sign Mentzen's eight-point declaration, which was considered a clear signal towards Confederate voters.
Mentzen Declaration – 8 conditions of support
The center of this pre-election game is 8 circumstantial points that Mentzen has placed as a condition for possible support for 1 of the candidates. These include requests for:
guarantees not to rise taxes,
protection of cash and Polish gold,
refusal to send Polish soldiers to Ukraine,
opposition to Ukraine's accession to NATO.
The following points concern:
the defence of freedom of expression in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland,
opposition to limiting the right of Poles to have weapons,
non-delegation of national competences to EU bodies,
the refusal to ratify fresh EU treaties that could weaken Poland's position.
Signing this declaration is not only a political motion – it is besides a signal for millions of voters who are looking for a candidate who respects free and sovereign values.
"Mentzen grills" cycle and YouTube strength
The "Mentzen grills" series has gained large popularity, especially among young voters. Thanks to the expression of live video on YouTube and social media promotions, Confederate leader effectively bypasses conventional media, building his own communication space. This is an example of a fresh policy model – based on interaction and direct contact with the viewer.
Decisive Saturday for Trzaskowski
Rafał Trzaskowski's participation in the debate with Mentzen is simply a risky but possibly profitable step. The Citizen Coalition candidate may win any Mentzen voters, but must be careful – any of the demands of the declaration are hard to accept by his electorate and political background. Thus, signing the paper may prove to be a double-edged sword.
Social revolution in politics
Regardless of whether Trzaskowski decides to support Mentzen's demands, the fact that he participated in specified a form of debate shows how much the scenery of Polish politics is changing. The run moves to the network, and key decisions are made not in tv studios, but on streaming platforms and in social media.
The debate may be a breakthrough – not only for the result of the elections, but besides for the kind of conducting politics in Poland. possibly the future is already deciding on YouTube.
