Group of 14 local and regional channels to host election debates

A group of 14 TV stations with local and regional coverage will host, for the first time in Moldova's electoral history, debates with the participation of competitors running in the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 5. The debates will be organized with the support of the Eurasia Foundation in Moldova and Soros Foundation-Moldova, Info-Prim Neo reports. The number of the weekly installments will depend on the number and availability of the electoral competitors, who will be given equal and fair treatment by their hosts, the organizers said in a press statement. The debates will be held at BAS TV (Basarabeasca), MEDIA TV (Cimislia), CANAL X (Briceni), AVM (Edinet), STV-41 (Taraclia), MAR SOR TV (Soroca), IMPULS TV (Soldanesti), STUDIO L (Causeni), FLOR TV (Floresti), MEGAN TV/TV PRIM (Glodeni), ALBASAT (Nisporeni), DROCHIA TV (Drochia), YENI AY (Comrat) and BTV (Balti). Summarized written transcripts of the debates will be later published in eight local and regional papers, among them “Cuvantul” in Rezina, “Observatorul de Nord”, distributed in Soroca and Floresti, “Business-Info” in Cimislia, “Glia drochiana” dristributed in Drochia, “Nord-Info”, distributed in Edinet. The debates are organized as part of the “Strengthening Good Governance through Support for Independent Media Development” Project, implemented by the Soros Foundation-Moldova with the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), as well as part of the “Media Action for Electoral Education” Project, implemented by the Eurasian Foundation in partnership with the Independent Press Association, with financing from the European Union, SIDA and USAID.