Kaczyński agrees to televised showdown with Tusk

Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński yesterday unexpectedly agreed to clash with Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Platform (PO), in a televised debate. "If Tusk wants a showdown so much, he will get it," he said. The move marks a change of tack for Kaczyński, who has so far refused to debate the PO leader unless he rules out a coalition with Left and Democrats. "Maintaining this line could make voters think Kaczyński indeed feared a direct clash with Tusk," said political scientist Jarosław Flis. There will, however, be at least two more debates, not just one. Tusk yesterday announced that he has also agreed to hold a debate with Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former president and leader of Left and Democrats. But which will come first? This question has emerged as a major political issue as Tusk claims he wants to meet  Kwaśniewski first, followed by a debate with Kaczyński. The Prime Minister may not be willing to go along with this. Whatever the actual sequence, TV stations are rubbing their hands together with glee as the debate between Kaczyński and Kwaśniwski earlier this week proved hugely popular, drawing more than 9 million viewers. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 5; Rzeczpospolita, p. A1, A5) R.M.