Prague, Sept 21 (CTK) – The election leaders of the two strongest Czech parties, Andrej Babis (ANO) and Lubomir Zaoralek (Social Democrats, CSSD), will meet in a TV Nova political duel to be held on the eve of the general election due on October 20-21, Nova spokeswoman Alzbeta Cimova told CTK on Thursday.
At the same time, on Friday night, the public Czech Television (CT) plans to broadcast live a discussion of the leaders of the ten most popular parties in the country.
Zaoralek said he would take part in Nova’s debate because Babis is going to participate, too.
He said he wants to oppose Babis’s idea that the conditions of the arrival of cheap workforce from abroad should be simplified.
“This is absolutely wrong,” Zaoralek said about the plan to encourage foreign labourers to come to the Czech Republic.
The Social Democrats previously said such a change would help the companies that are part of the giant Agrofert holding owned by Babis, but harm Czech workers, keeping their wages low.
Earlier this year, Babis transferred Agrofert to trust funds.
Zaoralek made the need to increase salaries in the country the central topic of his campaign.
Last week, Babis called on Zaoralek to face him in the TV Nova duel on October 19. “Decent, honest. Man against man. I accept,” Babis wrote on his Facebook profile then.
In the past, Babis refused to join CT discussion programmes.
