The Relevant Parliamentary Committee Discussed the Candidates Nominated to the Observers Board of the National Broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova

The newly-appointed members of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture, Education, Research, Youth, Sports and Media held a meeting on Thursday, February 19, to hear the candidates to the Observers Board of the national broadcasting company Teleradio-Moldova. According to sources within the Parliamentary Committee, 10 out of the 12 candidates selected by the Coordinating Council for Broadcasting showed up.

The need to fill in vacancies arose after the expiry of the mandates of six out of the nine members of the Observers Board. The Coordinating Council for Broadcasting selected through tender a group of candidates, namely: Ion Bunduchi, Vitalie Tapes, Vasile Chirilescu, Tudor Osoianu, Nicolae Spataru, Petru Macovei, Stela Nistor, Lilian Boboc, Alexandru Leanca, Ludmila Vasilache, Lilia Gurez and Andrei Luchianciuc.

The successful applicants selected by the relevant Parliamentary Committee will be discussed in Parliament and voted by the MPs.

During 2014 media organizations have repeatedly pointed out the need to ensure the functionality of the Observers' Board and urged the Parliament to speed up the process of filling in the vacancies. All the Parliamentary Committee on Media did was to hear the proposed activity programs of the candidates (in April 2014).

The unavailability of an operational Observers Board at Teleradio-Moldova for such a long period has been criticized by media experts, who claimed that this process was dragged due to political reasons.

On Thursday, the members of the Parliamentary Committee have not taken any decision; they will deliver an official opinion in a week. Meanwhile, one of the 12 candidates proposed by the Coordinating Council for Broadcasting, Vasile Chirilescu, did not show up on Thursday, and Alexandru Leanca withdrew from the tender.