The providers of media services demand that they should be offered the right to decide independently the hour, frequency, duration and format of electoral debates. Currently, the law allows for the organization of debates only in prime time and online. According to journalists and media experts, this creates impediments in the informing of citizens as the electoral opponents cannot be in several places simultaneously.

Vasile State, author of a bill to adjust Electoral Code provisions concerning the covering of elections, said that they propose eliminating the obligation to hold electoral debates only in prime time. The providers will independently decide the frequency, hour of start, duration and format of the program. Only the generalist or news services of media service providers will be obliged to organize electoral debates.

Electronic Press Association president Ion Bunduchi, co-author of the bill, said that there are over 100 media service providers in Moldova and some of them do not have suitable areas to comply with the provisions concerning the organization of live public debates, especially because equipment and additional personnel are needed to broadcast live. “Practice shows that those who wanted to obey the law invited by an election runner and mimicked the debates. This is detrimental to the public,” stated Ion Bunduchi.

TV moderator Lorena Bogza said the TV channels usually stage debates at the same hour and the candidates send their representatives to take part, which is detrimental to the voter. It is important that namely the candidates be present as the citizens should know the candidates, who cannot yet be present in several places simultaneously. The norm that obliges to hold debates in prime time should be removed from the law as it generates more problems than solutions.

Journalist Renata Lupacescu said the previous experience showed that some of the journalists had to record the debates so as to be able to broadcast them in prime time. This way the TV viewers could watch the same candidates simultaneously at a number of TV channels. The norm on live electoral debates should be modified as the election runners are expected to also visit the districts and this is harder to be done in prime time.

MP Maria Ciobanu noted that the proposed amendments are fundamentally necessary, but a solution should be found for moderators who sometimes turn into investigators. MP Vasile Năstase said that a bill on the media was registered and the given amendments will be opportune.

According to the president of the Association of Independent Press Petru Macovei, the subject is even more important as the presidential elections are approaching. The given proposals in February were submitted to Parliament, the Ministry of Justice and the Central Election commission and a number of discussions were held. “We bank on the MPs’ assistance in promoting these amendments so as to make legislation that would satisfy the public interest,” stated Petru Macovei.

The bill to amend the legislation was drafted by media experts in the framework of a project of Soros Foundation Moldova.