During the Monday presidential debate, the candidates gave a number of controversial and inaccurate statements. False information concerned, among others issues of migration, war in Ukraine and the energy situation in Poland.
Maciej Maciak falsely stated during the debate that “Americans go to Russia for treatment.” The candidate referred to the case of a girl with a mark on a face resembling a Batman mask, which was allegedly “saved by Russian specialists.” Maciak proposed to Krzysztof Standski, who as part of the presidential campaign promotes one of the online collections for the treatment of a sick Polish child, sending him to therapy to Russia. He asked if if Vladimir Putin offered treatment for free, Stanowski would also “be promoted”.
The candidate's proposal has no support in the facts. In the American press, PAP found no reports about the alleged “numerous trips of US citizens for treatment to Russia” or “sending American children to operations to this country.” After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Europe and the US closed airspace for Russian airlines, which further hinders travel to Russia. The case that Maciej Maciak referred to is isolated and controversial.
It is most likely about Luna Tavares-Fenner from Florida, who was born with a congenital melanocytic mark-a skin disease that causes dark spots on the face, which can lead to cancer development. In 2019, three years before Russia's full -glass invasion of Ukraine, Russian doctors from the clinic in Krasnodar offered the girl an experimental photodynamic therapy. It consisted in injection of a drug that was to cause tissue dying and the development of new, healthy skin. Luna's mother chose this method, available only in Russia, to avoid aggressive surgical treatment offered by American doctors.
However, contrary to what the presidential candidate suggested, the treatment was not free. Although the total cost of treatment was not disclosed, the mother did not hide that she had to collect almost 70 thousand. dollars, and ultimately therapy was possible thanks to the help of an anonymous donor who paid the missing amount. The treatment lasted – according to the independent Russian portal “Moscow Times” – 18 months and complications appeared through which the girl did not avoid surgical interventions. Luna could not close one eye for half a year – she had to sleep with the open, and the doctors were afraid that she would lose her sight completely.
Ultimately, she underwent six operations, after which she was completely cured.
Rafał Trzaskowski (KO) was imprecise when he claimed that “no migration pact would come into force.” His statement was the answer to the question of Karol Nawrocki whether the candidate KO supports the pushing of Polish borders by migrants.
The migration pact is a collection of EU legal acts that are binding on all Member States. Contains nine ordinances and one directive. One of the key elements is the regulation on asylum and migration management, which provides for an annual relocation of at least 30 thousand. asylum applicants. Member States may give up accepting migrants, paying 20,000. euro for every person they will not accept.
Failure to migrate the migration pact could violate European Union law, which would involve the initiation of a violation procedure by the European Commission, and in the case of a lack of reaction – referring the case to the Court of Justice of the EU.
The migration pact also appeared in the context of another exchange of sentences between these candidates, when Karol Nawrocki was asked by Rafał Trzaskowski about his earlier commitment to “reimbursement of nearly PLN 100,000 for renting a luxury apartment belonging to the Museum of World War II.”
In January, Gazeta Wyborcza announced that Nawrocki, as the director of the museum, used the apartment in the museum's hotel complex. Rental prices range from 650 to 1 thous. PLN per night, and institution employees can count on discounts. Nawrocki, however, did not incur any costs in this respect.
During Monday's debate, Nawrocki said that “what we would watch would be an apology of public television for writing that I lived (Karol Nawrocki) a hundred days in the apartment.” He explained that he could not live there for 100 days (from media reports it appears that in 2018-2021 Nawrocki rented a total of 197 days – PAP), because, among others “He spent New Year's Eve at home and has photos for it.” He added that in his opinion the KO candidate deals with “fake news”, not “apartments for illegal migrants”, whose construction – allegedly – deals with Poland, creating centers of integration of foreigners.
Centers for foreigners applying for international protection – which Karol Nawrocki referred to – runs the office to foreigners, and since 2022 (during PiS rule) the integration centers of foreigners are created. These institutions offer foreigners support in official matters, but they do not provide – as Nawrocki suggested, according to “apartments” – permanent residence and apartments.
Joanna Senyszyn from the Democratic Left Alliance, trying to demonstrate the unfounded defense expenditure of 5 percent. GDP, stated that “there would be no war.” She said not in accordance with the facts that “the Russians almost stopped occupying new areas in Ukraine, peace talks would start.”
On the day of the debate (May 12), the Institute for The Study of War published a report in which experts wrote that “Russian forces recently went towards Toreck, Pokrowska and Novopliwives.” The document also indicates that “Russia sent the Federal Security Service Regiment (FSB) to the front line in the Donetsk region, probably to raise fears of further military progress.” In turn, in the report of May 11, it was reported that “Russian forces went towards northern Kharkov and the News.”
In addition to activities on the front, on the night preceding the statement of Senyszyn, Russia carried out an air attack on the Odisian, Mikołajowski, Dononian and Żytomierski Districts. Although there were no fatalities, 22 people were injured – said Kyiv Independent.
ISW reports also show that Senyszyn's predictions about imminent peace conversations are also not confirmed by facts. As indicated in the study, “Russian officials put conditions to President Vladimir Putin to reject the invitation of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelanski to talk about the suspension of weapons.” In addition – according to ISW – “Putin takes action to prepare Russian public opinion for a long -term war effort, and not for a quick peace agreement.”
Marek Woch representing the “Non -Party Local Government” Association, who during the debate, stated that “mainly civilians die in Ukraine,” spoke in a similar topic. In December last year, Wołodymyr Zelanski reported that from February 2022, about 43,000 were killed. Ukrainian soldiers. However, as – also in December 2024 – reported The Independent, Western intelligence services and experts assess that this number is much higher – from 60 to 100,000. In turn, as in March this year, the Times reported, the United Nations from the beginning of Russian aggression confirmed the death of over 12.5 thousand. Ukrainian civilians.
It is also not true that Rafał Trzaskowski “built a Southern Hospital from scratch”. The KO candidate suggested this by answering the question of Sławomir Mentzen regarding the introduction of health insurance funds. Trzaskowski became the president of Warsaw in November 2018, while the construction of the Southern Hospital began in 2016.
In turn, Grzegorz Braun emphasized several times during the debate that “Poland has the most expensive electricity in Europe.” That's not true. According to eneryPrices.eu, providing daily electricity prices in Europe, on May 12 Poland was in the ninth place in terms of electricity prices. He was more expensive in Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Ireland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Hungary. Eurostat data shows that in the second half of 2024 throughout Europe, the most expensive electricity for households was in Ireland, the Czech Republic and Germany, and Poland was only in seventeenth.
The first round of presidential elections will take place on Sunday, May 18 (PAP)
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