Poland Accuses German-owned Media Of Election Bias

Warsaw, July 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Jul, 2020 ) :With four days to go until a knife-edge presidential election in Poland, the foreign ministry on Wednesday accused German-owned media of "manipulation" and "bias" against incumbent President Andrzej Duda.

Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek told Poland's PAP news agency that a senior German embassy official had been summoned to the ministry over the issue.

The publications in question "are engaging in manipulation that give an unequivocal impression of bias in favour of one candidate", Szynkowski vel Sek was quoted as saying.

Duda, who is backed by the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party, is facing a challenge from liberal Rafal Trzaskowski of the opposition Civic Platform (PO) party.

Ahead of Sunday's vote, pro-government figures have criticised perceived foreign political inference -- a highly sensitive issue in Poland for historical reasons.

At a campaign rally last week, Duda accused publications controlled by German media groups, including the newspaper Die Welt, of waging "a dirty and unforgiving campaign".

Duda has also criticised a tabloid, Fakt, which is owned by the Ringier Axel Springer group, for publishing a story about a paedophile who received a presidential pardon.

In another incident, US Ambassador to Warsaw Georgette Mosbacher reacted last week when a governing party lawmaker made accusations against Polish news channel TVN24, which is owned by the US media group Discovery.