On Monday evening, April 28, 2025, Poland held its breath. The "Super Express" studio launched a presidential debate, which has already been recorded in past as 1 of the most crucial events of the run before the 18 May elections. For the first time on 1 phase all thirteen candidates for the office of President, from veteran politicians to amazing outsiders. An different formula, in which they asked themselves questions, turned the debate into a political theatre full of emotions, substantive exchanges and moments that shocked viewers. From anti-Semitic statements by Grzegorz Braun, through the shocking message by Maciej Maciak about the admiration for Vladimir Putin, to the sparks flying between Rafał Trzaskowski, Szymon Hołownia and Sławomir Mentzen – this was not just a discussion. It was a communicative about Poland, its divisions and hopes that voters would weigh at the urns.
PRESIDENT DEBATE SUPER EXPRESSU: 28.04
Ready scene, lights on
At 6:00 p.m., the “Super Express” studio lit up with headlights. The live broadcast went not only on TV, but besides on YouTube and the X platform, where viewers had been watching the scenes of preparation since 5:15. The studio hosted: Rafał Trzaskowski, president of Warsaw and candidate of the Civic Coalition, Szymon Hołownia, talker of the Sejm from Poland 2050, Sławomir Mentzen, dynamic leader of the Confederation, Magdalena Biejat from fresh Left, Grzegorz Braun, controversial MP of the Confederation, Karol Nawrocki, historian supported by the Law and Justice, and little well-known but equally determined candidates: Adrian Zandberg, Joanna Senyszyn, Krzysztof Stanowski, Artur Bartoszewicz, Marek Woch, Maciej Maciak and Marek Jakubiak.
The expression of debate was a brave experiment. alternatively of questions from journalists, candidates chose themselves, to whom and what they would ask – 2 questions were addressed to selected rivals, 1 to a individual drawn. In the second part each had 90 seconds for its own message. Moderators, with deputy “Super Express” John Złotorowicz at the head, were only to watch the time and put out the fires as the discussion got out of control. As TVN24 noted, specified a plan favored media veterans, but it besides opened the door to lesser known faces that could have surprised.
The tension in the studio was felt from the first seconds. On entering the stage, Hołownia gave Trzaskowski a symbolic “bag with gifts from counter-candidates”, jokingly referring to earlier debates. “Sławek, see you tonight!” he threw earlier on X, preparing the ground for the start with Mentzen. Trzaskowski, in turn, did not waste time and attacked Nawrocki, reminding him of the "spoiled flag" from the debate in Koński. Symbolic gestures, as “Gazeta Wyborcza” wrote, became a tool for building narratives that were to stay in the memory of voters.
I'm looking at the stuff from the last debate. It turns out the candidate @SlawomirMentzen He needed instructions from the staff what to do with the photo. Swan, see you tonight! pic.twitter.com/AaOcmXMiUX
— Simon Holownia (@symon_townia) April 28, 2025Storm on stage: The clashes that shook Poland
The debate rapidly went from courtesy to fire. 1 of the electrifying moments was the clash between Simon Holown and Sławomir Mentzen. It all started with a dispute over the speaking time, but the temperature rose erstwhile Mentzen accused the marshal of the variability of views. "You're acting like you're in simple school. You are constantly changing your mind” “The leader of the Confederacy has abandoned, pointing out Holownia's erstwhile support for the euro and the liquidation of cash. The farm did not stay in debt: “You lie” – he replied, and his riposta triggered a wave of comments on X. Mentzen, as he later wrote on the platform, saw a politician in Holownia who "Yesterday he wanted the euro, and present he says times have changed". Marshal explained that Poland is not ready for a common currency, and that cash is the foundation of Poles' freedom, trying to extinguish the fire among conservative voters. "Interior" noted that this clash showed Hołownia as a policy ready to fight hard but inactive looking out for the image of the mediator.
Even bigger The shock was caused by Grzegorz Braun. His anti-Semitic statements in which he compared Israel's policy to Russia's actions and called yellow daffodils – a symbol of the memory of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising – “a sign of shame”, shocked the studio. He talked about “judalization” and “Ukrainianization” of Poland, attacking Trzaskowski for his participation in celebrations of the anniversary of the uprising in the ghetto. The president of Warsaw couldn't take it. “These are the heroes of our story! I will not perceive to this!” – He shouted, leaving the talker in a motion of protest. Magdalena Biejat, fresh Left candidate, announced a case to the D.A.'s office, writing on X: "Democracy is simply a space for views, but not for hatred". Braun, unharmed, boasted on the platform that he "trodden the rod on the edge," thanking supporters for their support under the studio. "TVN24" and "Onet" warned that his words could exacerbate the debate on hatred speech, and Braun's exclusion from the Confederacy in January 2025 only emphasizes his radicalism.
Democracy is simply a space of conflicting views. Sometimes extreme. But this freedom of abrogation cannot be an excuse to advance hatred. And that should connect everyone beyond divisions.
On hateful expressions @GrzegorzBraun_Who died...
A minute later, the studio froze again. Maciej Maciak, an independent candidate, in consequence to Mark Jakubiak's question, acknowledged that he was “awe of Vladimir Putin.” The silence that fell was interrupted by the ironic cry of Krzysztof Stanowski: “Bravo for Putin!”. Trzaskowski called the declaration “unbeknownst”, and Adrian Zandberg asked why Maciak avoided calling Putin a criminal. The candidate explained that anti-Russian moods are a political game, but his words only added fuel to the fire. "Super Express" recounted how memoirs about Maciak flooded X and netizens ridiculed his candidacy as "pro-Russian". “Wprost” noted that although Maciak is simply a marginal player, he gained a temporary designation that could aid him build niches.
Rafał Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki besides spared no punches. The president of Warsaw accused the PiS candidate of being "a puppet in the hands of Jarosław Kaczyński" and asked if he would hire Antoni Macierewicz at the National safety Office. Nawrocki, historian and head of the IPN, reposted as being a citizen candidate, supported by “Solidarity” and local committees, and Macerewicz is simply a well-deserved oppositionist. “Mr. Deputy Donald Tusk, do you not realize the logic of organization support?” He quit trying to reverse the narrative. "Newsweek" wrote that this clash was the essence of the POL-PiS polarization, which inactive defines Polish politics.
Adrian Zandberg, the leader of the Together Party, contributed to the debate a breath of substance. He criticized the PO-PiS duo for rising queues to doctors and housing prices, asking Trzaskowski about nepotism in State Treasury companies, and Braun about his attitude towards Putin. Trzaskowski replied that Zandberg “comfortable review of power”Instead of taking work in government. "Politics" praised Zandberg for precise questions, although CBOS polls (March 2025) only give him 2% of his support, which limits his chances.
Second plan votes
It was not only the poll leaders that attracted attention. Joanna Senyszyn, representing the Left, asked Mentzen about selling land to the Church for a fraction of its value, accusing him of not knowing the scale of the problem. Mentzen explained that churches should be treated like NGO-sy, but Senyszyn did not give up, calling his consequence naive. Krzysztof Stanowski, writer and amazing independent candidate, asked Trzaskowski a question about the hybrid war, pointing to the differences between the 2015 migration crisis and the force on the border in 2022. Trzaskowski defended the government's policy, accusing the Law and Justice of a "hole border" and chaotic visas. Magdalena Biejat challenged Nawrock, asking for opposition to cadastral tax, and Mentzen, recalling his words about "hypothetical" rape pregnancies. “This girl was raped by her uncle” – She recalled, causing confusion. Mentzen insisted that specified cases were rare, but his words met with fierce criticism of Biejat.
Each candidate brought something different to the debate. Marek Woch, a plumber and candidate for Unpartisan Local Governments, spoke about the problems of the village he knows from the autopsy. Artur Bartoszewicz, an anti-system candidate, criticized the parties for ‘botox and speech therapists’, promising direct democracy. Marek Jakubiak of Kukiz’15 appealed for ‘down to the ground’ And fighting government lies. Their voices, though little loud, reminded us that the run was not just a duel of giants.
Kulisy: Logistics and emotion behind the scenes
Behind the shiny facade of the debate was the logistics machine. "Wprost" estimates that the costs of organization, transmission and safety amounted to hundreds of thousands of zlotys, as did the debate in Koński, which cost PLN 600 thousand. Preparations lasted weeks, and the “Super Express” reported the scenes on X, showing candidates in the closets and tense atmosphere before entering the stage. The expression of common questions, inspired by debates in the US, was risky – as he noted "TVN24", threatened with chaos, which was evident during Braun and Maciak's speeches. The netizens praised professional phase design, but criticized moderation for being besides indulgent with controversial statements.
Echo in the media and on the streets
The debate attracted millions of viewers, and her echo sounded in the media and on platform X. Donald Tusk, commenting live, announced: “Rafał Trzaskowski wins this debate, in the form of “all by one””.
Rafał Trzaskowski wins this debate. And this is in the “everybody on one” formula.
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) April 28, 2025Wiesław Vladyk in “Politics” compared the event to the clashes of Wałęsa and Kwasniewski, suggesting that it could change the dynamics of the campaign. "Interior" warned that Braun and Maciak's scandals could overshadow substantive themes specified as migration policy and taxes. “Onet” speculated that Braun’s anti-Semitic words could scope Israel, triggering global reactions.
On X, the debate was a real phenomenon. Trzaskowski promoted it with hashtags #DebataSE and #Trzaskowski2025, Mentzen criticized rivals for “prorossiness”, and memes about Maciak and his “awesome for Putin” flooded the Internet. The “Torba Holowni” became a viral, and netizens divided into camps: the followers of Trzaskovsky praised his emotional reaction to Braun, Mentzen's fans appreciated his cut rhetoric, and Zandberg's supporters saw in him the voice of reason.
Debates That Change History
The presidential debates have been shaping elections for decades. "Checking" Kwasniewski in 1995 or Kennedy's clash with Nixon in 1960 showed that 1 minute could tip the scales. The “Super Express” debate resembled the match between Wałęsa and Miodowicz in 1988, where emotions and direct confrontations attracted millions. Prof. Szymon Ossowski in "TVN24" noted that the expression with many candidates gives an outsiderom opportunity, specified as Krzysztof Bosak in 2020 or Adrian Zandberg in 2015. Will Maciak or Stanowski be remembered by voters? Time will tell.
Last simple: What's ahead?
The "Super Express" debate was 3rd in the campaign, after clashes in the Horses and tv Republic. Three more meetings ahead of the candidates: 4 May in Poland24, 9 May in tv Republic and the grand final on 12 May in TVP, TVN and Polsata. The election will take place on 18 May and the second round, if necessary, on 1 June. On the weekend before the debate, Trzaskowski mobilized supporters in Poznań, and Nawrocki received the support of Andrzej Duda in Łódź. "Gazeta.pl" reports that Trzaskowski is losing in the polls, but his emotional speech could strengthen him among the centre voters. Mentzen and Holovnia fight for the indecisive, and Biejat and Zandberg mobilize the left.
Poland looks to the future
The Super Express debate was more than a political clash. She was a mirror in which Poles saw their divisions, hopes and fears. From Zandberg's substantive questions to Braun's scandalous words – everyone found something in her that touched him. Will Trzaskowski hold the lead? Can Mentzen convince the young? Will Nawrocki win the hearts of the PiS voters? We'll know the answer at the urns. 1 thing is certain: the emotion in this run will not be lacking.
DF, thefad.pl / Source: media
