Kaczynski (left) with Komorowski. photo - east newsPundits and politicians are saying that Jaroslaw Kaczynski performed better in the second TV debate ahead of Poland’s presidential elections on Sunday, but this won’t significantly reduce his rival Bronislaw Komorowski’s lead in the opinion polls.
Komorowski said he thought he beat, over two TV debates, Kaczynski, though his rival, “was better prepared than last time” for Wednesday night‘s clash.
This was the second of two debates on the candidates policies on foreign, economic and social issues.
Leader of the Law and Justice party and former prime minister Kaczynski said afterwards: "It was a debate which helped show the differences between two concepts of Poland - the liberal and conservative. I think that those who watched it will be able to draw their own conclusions.”
The Polish news agency PAP quotes Anna Materska-Sosnowska from the Political Science faculty at Warsaw University agreeing that Kaczynski (Law and Justice) had done his homework, this time, as opposed to the first debate on Sunday, where he seemed unprepared. If it was “1-0 to Komorowski three days ago, now it‘s 1-1,” she said.
SLD deputy leader Katarzyna Piekarska thought the second debate “a draw,” again commenting that Kaczynski seemed “sluggish” last Sunday.
Stanislaw Żelichowski from the Polish Peasant’s Party (PSL) - the junior coalition partner with Bronislaw Komorowski’s centre right Civic Platform - also thought Wednesday night’s debate even. "Generally, nothing has changed . Debates such as these can only influence the outcome of the election when one candidate clearly wins," said Żelichowski.
Outside TVP studios, where the debate was held, a scrum of media and political supporters waited for the candidates to arrive before the 20.00 CET debate began.
Supporters of Jaroslaw Kaczynski chanted
“Vote Jaroslaw”, while maverick Civic Platform MP Janusz Palikot turned up in an opened-top bus with his own band, who regaled the assembled with a tune extolling the merits of his candidate, Komorowski.
Both campaign teams had complained that the rules of the debate - where candidates were limited to making short statements and not directly debating each other - was restrictive. (pg)
source: PAP/IAR
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