The new president of the National Public Broadcaster “Teleradio-Moldova” (TRM) will be elected on Friday, February 5, while the directors of the national radio station and national TV channel on Saturday, February 6. The meetings where the 27 candidates will be examined and quizzed will be broadcast live on the radio station Radio Moldova Muzical, Info-Prim Neo reports. Eugeniu Rybka, the chairman of the Supervisory Board, said the meetings will be public. “Every candidate will present the intent project during 10-15 minutes. Afterward, the Board's members will question the candidates and hold debates,” he said. According to Rybka, the main criteria for selecting the candidates will be professionalism in public broadcasting and managerial abilities. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, political analyst Igor Botan, the director of the Association for Participative Democracy ADEPT, said thought the candidates are competent persons, they did not work out very clear and consistent strategies. “They probably do not want to reveal details now, but I cannot imagine how the Supervisory Board will elect the most suitable candidates in this case. A company president must be a very good manager. Those who apply for the post of directors of the national radio station and TV channel must have knowledge in the field,” Botan said. “I think changes can be implemented at the TRM as this company had an appropriate behavior in the short periods of independence witnessed by Moldova. I consider the situation will improve slightly during the first two years, but then the company would become truly public.” Vasile Botnaru, the director of the Free Europe Office in Chisinau, said the company must be headed by persons who will focus on the consumer. “The managers must not necessarily be journalists. They must realize they have to administer a public company and provide the consumers with reliable information,” Botnaru said. Vitalia Pavlichenko, the president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), said the future administrators of the TRM must represent the civil society, which monitors the performance of the national broadcaster. But they also must be good managers and use the budget in accordance with the law, she said. The leader of the PNL also said the people are skeptical about the changes that can take place at the public broadcaster. “It is impossible to imagine changes, but time has come to implement the recommendations made by the Council of Europe and the PACE resolutions,” Pavlichenko said. Ecaterina Mardarovici, the head of the Women's Political Club 50/50 and vice chairwoman of the National Participation Council, said she is glad that the candidates include women. She recommended the Supervisory Board to take the criterion of gender into account. “I think one or even two of the three posts could be held by women,” she said. The deadline for the submission of applications for the posts of TRM president and directors of the national radio station and national TV channel expired on January 27.