Democrats proposes that public TV offer free airtime for electoral ads

President of the Democratic Party (PD) Dumitru Diacov proposes that the public TV station offer free airtime for electoral ads, Info-Prim Neo reports. “Taking into account that the political parties are not funded from the state budget, and the parliamentary elections are an event of national importance, it would be a good idea that the public television offers free airtime to electoral competitors,” Diacov stated at the plenary sitting of the Parliament on Monday, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to him, the price of an advertising minute at private YV stations is not more than 400 euros, while the public TV sets the price of 600 euro/minute. “We have calculated that, if a party wants to have two minutes of ads at three TV stations, it should spend 2,500 euros a day. But if we book two minutes a day on Moldova 1, we need some 70,000 euros,” Diacov said. The PD parliamentarian proposes that the Parliament should consider a draft decision on Tuesday recommending the public TV to offer free airtime or at least to set a reasonable price. Dumitru Diacov believes “thus it means the state, the governance stimulates the political corruption in Moldova.” “I do not understand how the political parties can spend by 2,500 euros a day on ads. This period should not be used to enrich the television,” the MP said. His proposal however was not set for voting by speaker Marian Lupu, on reason there was not a draft decision. Lupu recommended Dumitru Diacov to come up with draft decision. The same fate was shared by the proposal of Vlad Filat, the president of the Liberal-Democratic Party, who asks for opening polling stations for Moldovan citizens on the countries where Moldova does not have diplomatic missions.