The debate will be aired live by public broadcaster TVP at 6:30 p.m., Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Taking part will be politicians from the six groups that have put forward candidates for parliament in all the constituencies across Poland, according to officials.
The ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party will be represented by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki; the opposition centrist Civic Coalition (KO) by its leader Donald Tusk; and the New Left by MP Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, the PAP news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the centre-right Third Way alliance is sending its co-leader Szymon Hołownia, and the far-right Confederation grouping will be represented by lawmaker Krzysztof Bosak.
The Non-Partisan Local Government Activists grouping is sending a senior official from the Dolnośląskie region, Krzysztof Maj.
The politicians will take turns to answer a total of seven questions; in the first round, they will outline their groupings’ policy proposals on migration, the PAP news agency reported.
The following rounds will focus on privatisation, the retirement age, security, unemployment, and social policy.
In round seven, each of the participating politicians will be allowed to address the audience on a topic of their choice, the PAP news agency reported.
The Polish conservative prime minister said in a video message on Friday that during the TV debate, he would outline his Law and Justice party’s vision for the country’s future.
The Civic Coalition’s Donald Tusk, a former prime minister and European Council president, on Friday criticised Law and Justice leader Jarosław Kaczyński for not taking part in the TV showdown, adding that he was ready to face off against Morawiecki instead, the PAP news agency reported.
The New Left’s co-leader Robert Biedroń told reporters that the group's Scheuring-Wielgus “symbolises all the values the Left is fighting for,” adding that he was confident she would "win the debate.”
The Third Way’s Władysław Kosiniak Kamysz said the alliance's Hołownia would be “extremely well prepared” for the TVP clash.
The Confederation’s Krzysztof Bosak told private broadcaster Polsat News that a television debate of party leaders was “healthy for democracy," according to PAP.
He argued that Kaczyński's decision not to take part in the debate showed he was "afraid of losing."
The Non-Partisan Local Government Activists' Maj told Polsat News he was happy to be able to represent his grouping in the TVP debate because the state broadcaster had not previously invited members of his organisation to its programmes, the PAP news agency reported.
Poles to elect new parliament on October 15
In August, Poland's lawmakers approved a plan to combine parliamentary elections with a nationwide referendum on issues including illegal migration.
Voters will head to the ballot box on October 15 to elect 460 new MPs and 100 senators for a four-year term.
The ruling conservative Law and Justice party and its government coalition allies have maintained a clear lead over the opposition in most recent surveys, polling ahead of the centrist Civic Coalition (KO), the far-right Confederation group, the New Left, and the Third Way coalition of the rural-based Polish People’s Party (PSL) and the centre-right Poland 2050 grouping.
If it wins the election, the United Right coalition led by PiS and containing its two small allies, Sovereign Poland and the Republicans, may not be able to form a majority in parliament on its own.
The ruling conservatives in 2019 won a convincing victory over opposition parties at the ballot box, securing a second term in power.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gazetaprawna.pl
