The local broadcasters that retransmit foreign TV channels and radio stations must not allow these to intervene in the election campaign in Moldova. Otherwise, the local broadcasters will be penalized. If the foreign mass media become involved in the election campaign in Moldova by other methods, the authorities can ban their broadcasting on the country’s territory. The Central Election Commission (CEC) adopted the regulations concerning the coverage of the election campaign in accordance with the recent changes made to the Election Code, IPN reports.

CEC president Iurie Ciocan has told the journalists that the electoral publicity will be broadcast within the advertising blocks of the local broadcasters, instead of the advertisements broadcast by the stations they retransmit. Any electoral debate program involving Moldovan election runners or any feature report about the elections in Moldova produced by broadcasters from other states will be eliminated.

Under the regulations, the electoral debates must be organized at local level. The broadcasters with national coverage can organize electoral debates, but are not obliged to, as in the parliamentary elections.

Another provision obliges the broadcasters to make public the tariffs for electoral publicity. By April 19, the broadcasters must inform the CEC about their tariffs, while the Commission, for its part, will publish them on its website.