The ruling party PAS approved upon first reading a bill reinstituting Parliament’s control over the national broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova (TRM), two years after it was placed under the oversight of the Broadcasting Council. The vote was criticized by the Communist-Socialist group.

MP Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei (PAS), one of the bill’s sponsors, said a key provision is the appointment of the TRM general director by Parliament on the proposal of the TRM Supervisory Board.

Com-Soc lawmaker Adela Răileanu, a former TRM executive, stated that the national broadcaster “needs subsidies, not political control”. “The vote for this bill, I assure you, is a vote for censorship, a vote against the journalists of Teleradio-Moldova. And it will be a step towards a regime with dictatorial manners”, declared Răileanu.

The bill, which amends the Media Services Code, also contains provisions that enable Parliament to dismiss Broadcasting Council members for performing their tasks poorly or for not doing their job; the formal rejection by Parliament of the Council’s annual report could lead to the dismissal of its members.

The bill is yet to be adopted in a second reading.