KO’s presidential candidate Rafał Trzaskowski did not appear at a debate organized by TV Republika. “He doesn’t feel confident in any debate other than the one organized by his own staff,” commented MP Radosław Fogiel (PiS).
Rafał Trzaskowski has been absent from two of the three debates held so far in this election campaign. He did take part in the discussion in Końskie—but in a debate organized by his own campaign team. Yesterday, when a debate was held in the TV Republika studio, Trzaskowski was nowhere to be seen.
His absence from the Republika debate continues to spark considerable controversy. Radosław Fogiel (PiS) reacted to it in a satirical tone.
“He chickened out; he bolted; he didn’t show up. He’s not comfortable in any debate that isn’t organized by his own staff. And now we have to ask ourselves: Is such a coward fit to be president? Can someone so cowardly be the commander-in-chief of the armed forces? I don’t think so!” – commented the opposition MP.
During a press conference in front of Warsaw’s city hall, Fogiel also referred to the presidential debate in Końskie, which took place on Friday. It was organized by Trzaskowski’s campaign staff and broadcast by TVP (in liquidation). According to the PiS MP, that debate was “just a campaign event” for Trzaskowski. He also remarked that the KO candidate’s staff and Polish Television “are passing the buck” when it comes to who was really responsible for organizing the event.
“There are issues here that absolutely need clarification, because we could potentially be dealing with a major scandal,” Fogiel said. He believes there may have been “the provision of free services by TVP to benefit Trzaskowski’s campaign” or a breach of the regulations concerning how public television is to handle election debates.
“There are more and more questions, and we certainly won’t let this go,” Fogiel stressed. According to him, the matter of the Końskie debate “should be investigated by the National Electoral Commission (PKW) and the prosecutor’s office.”