On Wednesday, May 28, the final presidential debate of a months-long campaign took place in the town square of Końskie. The event was organized by TV Republika. On that day, viewers across Poland—choosing from all available TV stations, not just news channels—opted for the Free Speech House’s station. “This is an incredible success for us!” said Head of TV Republika, Tomasz Sakiewicz, in an interview with Niezalezna.pl.
The debate held in Końskie yesterday drew huge public interest, despite the fact that only one candidate, Karol Nawrocki, was present. Rafał Trzaskowski once again chose to back out, opting for a “safer” alternative—holding a rally in Kalisz.
Republika Takes the Top Spot!
The debate also saw impressive viewership on television and social media. On Wednesday, May 28, TV Republika achieved the highest audience share across all Polish TV stations—not just news channels—reaching 8.85 percent of the market. Viewership data clearly shows that Republika’s evening time slot (marked in blue), which featured the Końskie debate, overwhelmingly outperformed the competition.
Additionally, on the social media platform X, the hashtag “Końskie” was used over 32,000 times, making it the most popular topic on the platform that day.
Sakiewicz: “Republika Struck a Chord with the Polish People“
Niezalezna.pl spoke Head of TV Republika, Tomasz Sakiewicz, who summarized the station’s latest success:
“Yesterday, we invited both candidates. However, Trzaskowski’s team made a different decision. Along with the state-run media, they chose to cover Trzaskowski’s trip to Kalisz instead. As it turned out, most Poles preferred to watch the debate organized by Republika. This shows that public sentiment is with those who want real dialogue and open discussion with Polish citizens. Republika captured that mood—and that’s why we achieved such an extraordinary success!”