According to Grzegorz Schetyna (Civic Coalition), TV Republika and wPolsce24 should be co-organizers of the presidential debate in Końskie. He advocates for the broadest possible representation of television stations, “as long as the rules are upheld” and the debate does not devolve into a battle among broadcasters.
The town described by Grzegorz Schetyna (Civic Coalition) as “the place where elections are won” – namely Końskie – has once again become a stage for political confrontation. On Wednesday, the Civic Coalition’s presidential candidate, Rafał Trzaskowski, called on Karol Nawrocki, the civic candidate supported by Law and Justice (PiS), to engage in a debate this Friday at 8:00 p.m. in Końskie – a town that in recent years has come to symbolize the electoral battleground for votes in “small-town Poland.” Nawrocki set a condition: that in addition to the broadcasters proposed by Trzaskowski – TVP, TVN, and Polsat – the debate should also be co-hosted by TV Republika and wPolsce24.
Trzaskowski agreed to the condition, but the originally selected “trio” of broadcasters reportedly has issues with it. According to Schetyna, however, TV Republika and wPolsce24 should indeed participate in hosting the debate. In fact, he is a proponent of involving the widest array of television stations, provided that fundamental principles are respected and the event remains a debate rather than a “television station war.”
In an interview with Radio Plus, Schetyna noted that the current situation differs from that of five years ago when Rafał Trzaskowski declined to debate the then-incumbent president, Andrzej Duda. The Civic Coalition politician pointed out that at that time, the debate was organized solely by the “government-run broadcaster.” Today, when “all stations” are involved in organizing it, the format is significantly more open.
Schetyna, from Tusk’s party, was asked whether all stations are truly involved – and whether TV Republika and wPolsce24 should be included.
“Yes. The only point is that all [stations] should have equal opportunity to pose questions and co-host the debate,”
Schetyna replied.
In his view, a classic debate involving all candidates will likely not take place before the first round of the election, due to the large number of presidential hopefuls. When reminded that legislation mandates the organization of such a debate, Schetyna responded that he was referring to its scale and potential impact on the first-round outcome. “If there are 18 or 20 candidates, then it will not be a classic debate,” he added.
He then emphasized that he supports keeping the list of participating broadcasters open, even beyond the five already mentioned, provided that the format remains a true debate and does not turn into a conflict between television stations.