The head of Rafał Trzaskowski’s campaign, Wioletta Paprocka, posted on social media that both sides agreed the television networks would send debate rules to the campaigns by email.
In an interview with Polish Radio, Paprocka noted that Karol Nawrocki, the PiS-backed candidate, expressed a desire to participate in the debate, but his campaign team did not confirm whether he would attend tomorrow’s event, which will be broadcast by three networks: TVP, TVN, and Polsat.
Nawrocki’s team also insists that two right-wing stations, Republika and wPolsce24, should be included.
Rafał Trzaskowski announced that he expects the debate with Karol Nawrocki to take place as planned on Friday, April 11.
According to tvn24.pl, the media outlets (TVP, TVN24, and Polsat News) have jointly developed the rules for the debate scheduled for Friday and sent the proposal to the campaign teams of Rafał Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki. They are now awaiting a response.
UPDATE: Presidential debate in Końskie: Trzaskowski and Nawrocki still unable to reach agreement
The political debate in Końskie, a town located in central Poland, scheduled for tonight, remains uncertain. While both Rafał Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki are expected to be in the town, they have not yet reached an agreement on the organization of the discussion.
The first debate, organized by Telewizja Republika, is set to begin at 6:50 PM, with Nawrocki participating alone. The second debate, scheduled for 8:00 PM, will be broadcast by Telewizja Polska, TVN, and Polsat, but Trzaskowski has also indicated he may participate solo.
According to RMF FM, by 9:00 AM, both politicians may not show up to the debates organized by their respective rivals, although it remains possible that the situation could change at the last minute.
Końskie has become a symbol of small-town, provincial Poland, with the belief that winning elections in the country depends on addressing local concerns, a notion first raised by Grzegorz Schetyna of the Civic Platform after the party's 2015 parliamentary loss.
Nawrocki's campaign head rejects debate format, demands inclusion of right-wing stations
On Friday, Paweł Szefernaker, head of the campaign for Karol Nawrocki, who is supported by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, denied media reports via his X (formerly Twitter) profile. He assured that no agreement had been reached regarding the debate in the format proposed by TVP, TVN, and Polsat.
"The format of this debate excludes millions of Poles. We want a debate with five television stations. We exclude no one! We want a fair play debate!" he wrote in his post, demanding the inclusion of right-wing stations (wPolsce24 and TV Republika) and suggesting that it is still unclear whether the face-off between the two candidates will take place.
Hołownia’s surprise move: "I'm heading to Końskie today to take part in the debate"
Poland 2050 leader Szymon Hołownia unexpectedly announced on Friday afternoon that he would take part in the presidential debate in Końskie, emphasizing that all candidates should have the opportunity to participate.
Earlier that day, during a morning interview with Radio ZET, Hołownia also stated that if the Sejm (the lower house of Poland’s parliament) passes an abortion law without holding a referendum, he would veto it as president and send it back to parliament.
Candidate of the Third Way alliance and Speaker of the Sejm, Szymon Hołownia, is seen during a campaign event in Opole, southwestern Poland, on April 9, 2025. In the background is his campaign slogan: "People first." Photo: PAP/Krzysztof Świderski
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Source: IAR/PAP/TVN24/X/@tvn24/@szefernaker/RMF FM/PR24