Just ahead of the 2025 presidential elections, remarks made during a presidential debate two decades ago have resurfaced. At that time, Lech Kaczyński met with Donald Tusk in a televised debate and drew attention to his opponent’s behaviour.
On October 9, 2005, the first round of the presidential election was held. Twelve candidates vied for the presidency, but none secured the required 50 percent majority to win outright. Donald Tusk emerged as the frontrunner in the first round, receiving 36.33 percent of the vote. Lech Kaczyński came in second with 33.1 percent, followed by Andrzej Lepper (15.11 percent) and Marek Borowski (10.33 percent).
Tusk and Kaczyński faced off in the second round, and prior to the final vote, a debate took place—during which, as it would later be seen, historically significant words were uttered by the man who would go on to become president.
“One more element from recent days has somewhat disturbed me. Namely, the tone of aggression from my opponent, which raises concerns that in Donald Tusk’s Poland, political opponents, and adversaries, will be treated with a high degree of aggression—if not, and perhaps I am exaggerating—hatred. And for this reason, I believe that a Poland under President Lech Kaczyński would be a better choice,”
said Kaczyński during the final debate before the second round of the 2005 presidential election.
In the second round of the 2005 presidential election, Kaczyński received 8,257,468 votes (54.04 percent), defeating Donald Tusk, who garnered 7,022,319 votes.
“Prophetic words”—this is the commentary now being offered on the fragment recalled twenty years after the fateful election.