Public TV, radio pledges equal treatment to all election parties

June 25, 2009

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The leadership of the Teleradio-Moldova company has offered additional guarantees of securing equal conditions for all election contenders in its news bulletins. The members of the Council of Observers (CO) made these amendments to the internal regulation on the coverage of the campaign for the 29 July parliamentary election.

The CO members took into account the regulation of the Central Election Commission (CEC), the experience of the April 2009 parliamentary polls, suggestions and wishes of the election contenders, proposals by international organizations, foreign and local monitors, as well as the peculiarities of the 29 July parliamentary election.

The regulation provides for a distinct chapter for the radio and TV news. The election-related events will be placed in the news programmes in the section, Alegeri 2009 (Elections 2009), without comments on behalf of authors.

To ensure a fair election campaign in conditions of equal competition, the election-related feature reports will have approximately the same length.

The special section, Elections 2009, in the radio and TV news will not be limited in time, and will give the possibility of broadcasting all news released before the programme.

The events will be covered in the same conditions of equality, parity and non-discrimination in the next news programmes, according to the broadcasting grid.

The requirements to the news programmes remain as strict as before: objectiveness, balance and equidistance.

The CO members voiced hope that the observance of these fundamental principles will help ensure fair and free elections, thus contributing to consolidating a democratic society in Moldova.

Moldpres