Final presidential debate marked by scandal around main opposition candidate
As Poland counts down to presidential election on May 18 the final debate of all 13 registered candidates was marked by a recent scandal involving Karol Nawrocki, backed by the socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS).
The televised debate jointly organised and aired live by TVP and private broadcasters TVN and Polsat on Monday evening covered domestic and foreign policy issues, with questions from journalists, exchanges between candidates, and concluding statements.
The leading presidential candidate, Rafal Trzaskowski from the Civic Coalition (KO), the biggest party of the ruling coalition, argued that the president should look after people's affairs, not his own, making an apparent reference to a disputed apartment acquisition by Nawrocki from an ailing 80-year-old man in exchange for lifetime care, which he later allegedly failed to deliver on.
In Trzaskowski's opinion, recent days have shown that "at least one of the candidates" should consider whether he has the "moral right" to seek the highest office in Poland.
Nawrocki was also questioned about the apartment by parliamentary speaker Szymon Holownia, a candidate of the centre-right Third Way alliance. Holownia called Nawrocki "a liar" and accused him of fraudulent acquisition of communal assets using an unauthorised discount.
Nawrocki replied: "The operational game that affected me, and the leaks from my file held by the special services, are concerning as regards the state of Polish democracy."
Holownia further declared that, unlike some of his predecessors, he would never "pardon a politician, whether... from my side or the opposition."
Adrian Zandberg, from the leftist opposition Together party, said he would veto any attempt to introduce housing loan subsidies, which, he claimed, "ultimately land in the accounts of real estate developers."
Nawrocki declared that he would not send Polish troops to Ukraine.
"That's what kind of president I will be. I will safeguard your security. I will not send Polish soldiers to Ukraine, regardless of public opinion polls. I will build a Polish-American alliance and I will not agree to the creation of a NATO duplicate within the European Union, regardless of the polls," he said.
Trzaskowski also spoke about Poland's security and spending 5 percent of GDP on defence as "absolutely fundamental issues" to be addressed by the new president.
"There are also issues that [incumbent] President [Andrzej] Duda vetoed, such as the Silesian language [bill recognising Silesian as a regional language], the morning-after pill or a very important issue for us, namely that women should decide about their lives and health. If these bills come to me again, I will sign them. If not, I will submit my own proposals in this regard," he declared.
When the candidates were asked what to do to avoid a demographic catastrophe in Poland, Trzaskowski replied that Poland's strict anti-abortion law must be changed "immediately" and women's safety must be ensured.
Holownia argued that the regulations in this matter should be decided by a referendum.
According to Nawrocki, "the promotion of anti-values or the value of death, not life, is certainly a problem that affects the demographic dimension of the Polish state."
"We need to return to supporting Polish families, to those values that encourage Poles to start and take care of their families," he said.
Zandberg spoke in favour of "women's right to choose until the 12th week of pregnancy."
He was echoed by Senator Magdalena Biejat of the co-governing New Left group who believes that access to abortion is an important determinant whether someone chooses to become pregnant.
Independent candidate and journalist, Krzysztof Stanowski, criticised TVP for choosing their anchor, Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf, as moderator of the debate, despite opposition from election committees. He called the journalist the "high priestess of propaganda." (PAP)
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