Main parties agree terms of leaders' TV debate

The ruling Socialists and the main opposition Popular Party have agreed the conditions of the televised debate due to take place between their respective prime-ministerial candidates in the November 20 general elections, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba and Mariano Rajoy.

The one-off face-to-face between Rubalcaba and Rajoy is scheduled for next Monday in Madrid at the Television Academy, and will be chaired by Academy president Manuel Campo Vidal.

The terms of the debate were negotiated by Ana Mato and Elena Valenciano, the respective coordinators of the PP and Socialists' election campaigns.

The topics for the debate have been organized into three blocks: economy and employment, social policies, and democracy and foreign policy. The candidates for the premiership will have an allotted amount of time for each block, part of which they can use at their discretion to respond to statements made by their opponent.

The debate is set to be televised by a number of channels. The precise start-time of the program will be determined after consulting with broadcasters so as not to disrupt their advertising schedules. However, it will be between 9.30pm and 9.45pm.

Two days after the face-off between the heads of the two main parties, the state broadcaster RTVE will hold a televised debate between five representatives of the biggest parliamentary groups. Cabinet Secretary Ramón Jáuregui will appear for the Socialists, and the mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón for the PP. The other groupings represented will be the nationalist Catalan coalition CiU, the Basque PNV and one speaker for the three left-leaning minority parties, the United Left, the ERC and the ICV.