The Observers’ Council (OC) of the regional public company Teleradio-Gagauzia was disbanded for the second time. On Tuesday, September 2, the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia made the decision to dissolve the Council and organize a new contest to choose the new members of the Council. The decision was adopted by a majority vote, with the Communist MPs voting against. The Council’s administration considers that the decision is unfounded and illegal, Info-Prim Neo reports. The MPs expressed their dissatisfaction with the OC’s work. They said the Council groundlessly fixed large salaries for the management of Teleradio-Gagauzia and OC secretary. The Council did not explain why it asked for 4.5 million lei from the regional budget for 2009 and does not make effort to earn incomes. Also, it did not report how it spent the funds allotted for 2008 and did not formulate the editorial policy of the company. The MPs criticized the Council for not dealing with the violations of the professional standards by the employees of Teleradio-Gagauzia and for not insuring the impartiality and plurality of the informative materials etc. Ana Harlamenko, the president of the People’s Assembly, insisted that the Council should be dissolved because it includes practically only employees of the Comrat State University, whose rector Mihail Daradur heads the OC. According to Ana Harlamenko, the Council members cannot act and express their opinions freely as they are influenced by their superiors from the basic work. She stressed that Mihail Daradur holds the meetings inside the University when it suits him and his colleagues and that he does not live in Comrat, but shuttles, while his residence visa is in Chisinau. Ana Harlamenko also said that the People’s Assembly received a complaint signed by 20 former and current employees of Teleradio-Gagauzia, who said that the Observers’ Council and the management of Teleradio-Gagauzia are incapable of improving the creation process and the atmosphere among members of staff. At the same time, the OC chairman Mihail Daradur has told Info-Prim Neo that the decision to dissolve the institution is illegal because the legislation does not provide for the reformation of the Council on the basis of the reasons put forward by the MPs. According to Mihail Daradur, the People’s Assembly cannot dissolve the OC during four years, only in such cases as dismissal or illness of the chairman and members of the Council. Mihail Daradur stated that all the set out objections are groundless and that the Council worked in accordance with the law. Daradur said that during nine months, the CO has held 19 meetings that examined over 100 matters concerning the personnel policy and the equipment of the company. He considers that the People’s Assembly president Ana Harlamenko, who had been CO chairwoman for ten years, aims to control the regional public company. Daradur avoided saying if he will challenge the decision of the People’s Assembly in court, saying that he does not yet have an official document. “When we have the decision document in hand, we will make the Council’s position public,” Mihail Daradur said. On July 10, the People’s Assembly decided to disband the Observers Council, but that decision was cancelled together with all the decisions taken until July 31, when the MPs reached a consensus as to how to distribute the senior posts in the People’s Assembly, after many disputes. In a case study, monitors of ten media and law NGOs, under the aegis of the Electronic Press Association, ascertained that the People’s Assembly did not dissolve the OC of Teleradio-Gagauzia, but only dismissed its members. The monitors said that the OC members were fired illegally and they could apply to court and demand that the decision, which was illegal, be canceled. Teleradio-Gagauzia was transformed into a public company following the adoption of a law on television and radio by People’s Assembly. The law took effect on July 27, 2007. The Observers’ Council of Teleradio-Gagauzia has nine members.