Have Sandu and Stoianoglo reached a compromise? The Press Council invites the two candidates to accept the public debate at Moldova 1 TV
The Press Council issued a statement on October 23 asking the two presidential candidates, Maia Sandu and Alexandr Stoianoglo, to accept the invitation of Moldova 1 TV and to hold the electoral debate on this national platform, "in accordance with the law and with respect to the country's population". The debate must be moderated by a journalist from the Public Broadcaster "Teleradio-Moldova" that can also accept the contribution of other journalists, reads the Press Council's statement.
According to the source, the setting by the candidates of the conditions and content of the debates is against the law. “No candidate can dictate how many rounds a debate should have, how long the debate should last, or what topics should be discussed. Media institutions comply, in organizing the debate, with the law and professional ethics".
In this context, the Press Council requests the candidates "to stop the interference in the media activity by submitting the conditions regarding the duration, content and other aspects of the debates in the second round of the presidential elections".
The Press Council also proposed several names of journalists "who could contribute" to the electoral debates for the second round of the presidential elections, moderated by a journalist from the "Teleradio-Moldova" Company. They are: Lorena Bogza, Anatolie Golea, Lilia Buracovschi, Mădălin Necșuțu, Liuba Şevciuc and Vitalie Cojocari.
UPDATE: The two presidential candidates seem to have reached an agreement on the electoral debate. The confrontation between Maia Sandu and Alexandr Stoianoglo will take place on Sunday, October 27, at the Palace of the Republic in Chisinau, but without a moderator. The proposal came from Maia Sandu's staff, the idea being approved by the opposing candidate's team. This after they failed to find a consensus regarding the journalist who should moderate this debate. The format and structure of the debates have not yet been decided.
We remind you that the Public Broadcaster "Teleradio-Moldova" invited the two candidates for the position of president of the Republic of Moldova to an electoral debate organized and broadcast on Moldova 1 TV and Radio Moldova. The format, duration and other specific details of the debate would be discussed with the staffs of Maia Sandu and Alexandr Stoianoglo.
The TV debate is scheduled for Monday, October 28, at 19:00. The debate will be broadcast live on Radio Moldova, as well as on the web pages www.radiomoldova.md and www.moldova1.md.
