“This aggression cannot be tolerated,” wrote Trzaskowski’s campaign manager, Wioletta Paprocka, on X (formerly Twitter).
“We’re talking about the destruction of a venue, attempts to forcefully enter despite clear warnings to stop, and physical confrontations involving individuals linked to the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) and Telewizja Republika, who acted hand in hand.”
The campaign described the incident as a deliberate attempt to violently disrupt a democratic event. “In a state governed by the rule of law, such actions must be met with a firm and unequivocal response - both legal and societal,” Paprocka emphasized.
She added that Polish citizens expect political debates to take place with respect for democratic values, not through violence, political theater, and chaos fueled by incitement.
Opposition parties clash over fairness of Końskie presidential debate
Poland’s far-right Konfederacja party also plans to file a complaint with the prosecutor’s office over Friday’s presidential debate in the town of Końskie, party leader and Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Krzysztof Bosak said Monday. He also called on the National Electoral Commission to look into the matter.
“To legally call it a debate, all candidates should have been invited - and they weren’t,” Bosak told Radio ZET, adding that the decision by Civic Coalition (KO) candidate Rafał Trzaskowski to invite only select contenders was, in his words, “a mockery.” In his opinion, something happened behind the scenes that the Polish public is unaware of.
In response to the controversy, KO lawmaker Monika Rosa told Polsat News on Sunday that the debate had been organized by Trzaskowski’s campaign team, which was responsible for the venue rental and all logistics. She added that public broadcaster TVP has “both the right and the duty to air election-related events.”
“TVP is obligated to host at least one debate featuring all candidates within two weeks of the first round of voting - and it will fulfill that duty,” Rosa said. “However, it can also broadcast other debates.”
Meanwhile, opposition PiS parliamentary leader Mariusz Błaszczak announced plans to conduct a formal parliamentary review of TVP’s handling of the Końskie debate.
Dueling debates spark controversy ahead of Poland’s presidential election
Before the debate broadcast by TVP Info, Polsat, and TVN24, a competing event was organized in the market square in Końskie (located in Poland), which was aired exclusively on right-wing, pro-PiS TV stations such as TV Republika. Photo: PAP/Marian Zubrzycki
Two competing presidential debates took place Friday in the town of Końskie, after the original plan for a one-on-one event between opposition candidate Rafał Trzaskowski and PiS-backed Karol Nawrocki fell through.
Talks between their campaign teams broke down over which media outlets would be allowed to broadcast the event. Trzaskowski went ahead with his invitation, and broadcasters TVP, TVN, and Polsat hosted a debate featuring eight candidates, including Nawrocki and Trzaskowski.
Right-wing outlet TV Republika also held a separate debate in the town square featuring five candidates, including Nawrocki.
Public broadcaster TVP later clarified it will organize an official debate with all presidential contenders in May, ahead of the first round of voting on May 18.
The entire debate, lasting over 3 hours, broadcast by TVP Info, Polsat, and TVN24, can be watched in the video below:
The competing debate, which was broadcast earlier on right-wing stations such as TV Republika, can be viewed here:
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Source: IAR/PAP/X/@WiolaPaprocka/@Gosc_RadiaZET/YouTube/@Telewizja_Republika/@tvpinfo-publicystyka