Defining Moments in Polish Pre-Election Debates 1995–2015

The article attempts to systematize, categorize, and analyze the significance of individual moments defining Polish pre-election debates from 1995 to 2015. During debates lasting over an hour, politicians are unable to maintain the full attention of viewers; substantial portions are not remembered and have little impact on the audience’s evaluation. According to Zakahi and Hacker (1995), the most important aspects of debates are “defining moments”, which are the segments of debates that attract the most attention from voters, are best remembered by them, and are most frequently quoted by the media. In interpreting the possible impact of defining moments on voter preferences. Defining moments did not always occur in Polish pre-election debates. The most distinct defining moments influencing debate outcomes occurred in the Kwaśniewski-Wałęsa presidential debates of 1995 and the pre-election debates in 2007. Defining moments in Polish election debates can be divided into several categories, distinguished by their impact on winning the debate, their intentionality, and whether they are widely and socially remembered.