PCRM seeks rescheduling of election debates at Teleradio-Moldova

The Communist Party of Moldova (PCRM) demands that the time at which the election debates are to be aired on public stations should be changed because it coincides with the broadcast time of the Champions League football matches, Info-Prim Neo reports. On February 26, the PCRM addressed such a request to all the election runners, the Central Election Commission, the Broadcasting Coordination Council, and the Observers’ Board of the Public Broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova. “Given that only Teleradio Moldova has the right to broadcast Champions League matches in Moldova, the Communist Party of Moldova calls on you to recommend this TV channel to modify the broadcast time of the election debates schedule for March 10 and 11 so that the football matches could be aired at these hours,” the letter says. “We are convinced that the respect for the Moldovan football fans and for this kind of spectacular sport will constitute a guiding principle for all the election contenders,” the letter reads. A number of analysts said earlier that the holding of election debates after all the candidates have been registered puts the parties running in elections in unequal conditions. Nicolae Negru, expert of the Independent Journalism Center, told a news conference on February 25 that the holding of debates only after March 5, when the registration period ends, favors the ruling party and disadvantages the Opposition parties that do not have access to public stations. The people are also disadvantaged because they are deprived of information. The PCRM’s request to modify the broadcast time of the election debates has not yet been commented on.