NEW YORK, September 5. /TASS/. ABC News, a US television company, has released the final rules for presidential debates between the candidates.
The first debate between Democratic candidate US Vice President Kamala Harris and her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump is set for September 10 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The highly anticipated event will be hosted by ABC News.
According to the debate rules questions to the candidates will be asked only by moderators and the candidates will have two minutes to answer, with their microphones being muted when it is turn for the other candidate to speak. The candidates will be given a pen, a pad of paper, and a bottle of water but will be banned from using prewritten notes. The candidates will not be allowed to interacts with their campaign staff, including during commercial breaks.
Debates between Harris and Trump have been at a risk of failure due to the argument concerning the use of microphones. Harris’ team asked ABC News not to mute microphones throughout the event while Trump’s team insisted that the rules remain the same as they were during the June debates with Biden.
The US presidential election will be held on November 5. The Democratic Party was supposed to be represented by incumbent President Joe Biden, but after his failed performance in his June debate with Republican candidate Donald Trump, calls for the incumbent head of state to pull out grew louder among Democrats. On July 21, he decided to withdraw from the race and endorse Harris for the country’s top office. She formally accepted the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.