The chairman of the Broadcasting Coordination Council (BCC), Corneliu Mihalache has been removed from office today by the BCC members. At the same meeting, by majority of votes the Council named Vlad Turcanu as chairman. At the beginning of the meeting, deputy-chair Ludmila Vasilache proposed including in the order of the day the issue of the Parliament’s decision concerning the BCC progress report. Several BCC members expressed discontent with the way Mihalache presented the report in Parliament. Ludmila Vasilache and Vlad Turcanu accused Mihalache of lack of transparency and of concealing information from the other members of the Council. The BCC deputy-chair proposed giving Corneliu Mihalache a vote of no confidence. The proposal was backed by 5 of those 9 members: Ludmila Vasilache, Vlad Turcanu, Ruslan Plesca, Valeriu Frumusachi and Constantin Rotaru. Corneliu Mihalache stated after his removal that this decision represents “an obvious attempt of political interference in the activity of BCC”. The former chairman said he expected to face a vote of no confidence, but was surprised to find so many votes against him. Asked where the political interference comes from, Mihalache said he is still a BCC member, therefore he cannot make any political statements. Later, with the vote of the same 5 members, Vlad Turcanu was elected as BCC chairman. Corneliu Mihalache and Gheorghe Gorincioi left the meeting room and didn’t participate in the voting. Turcanu stated that his desire wasn’t to become a chairman. He sought the membership because he new there are sufficient legislative principles and provisions which could help reform the audiovisual. “It is crucial to have discussions within the Council in order to agree on certain essential policies for BCC, on actions concerning broadcasters, and, in due course, on some steps that would better mirror the activity of BCC”, Turcanu stated. Also today, the BCC backed the nomination of Tudor Tataru as candidate for member of the Teleradio Moldova Company’s Supervisory Board. Previously, lawyer Vitalie Nagacevschi was nominated for the same office. The Parliament is to choose between these two candidates.