Financiarul

The TVR public television channel has issued a reply to the statement of President Traian Basescu that TVR has turned into a ‘mogul’s fief,’ saying that it will try to reschedule the election debate that will feature seven of the candidates in the November 22 presidential election.

‘The Romanian Television on Wednesday tried to hold a debate with al the candidates, in two stages. The first stage was completed, but the second was denied by the campaign staff of Traian Basescu, Crin Antonescu, Sorin Oprescu and Kelemen Hunor. As we said during the day, we are still open to an attempt to reschedule the seven-candidate debate,’ reads a TVR press release.

President Basescu on Wednesday evening said he was regretting that the debate of the presidential candidates will no longer be held, claiming that this was the result of the behaviour and decision made by TVR CEO Alexandru Sassu, about whom he said has become the country’s ‘third media mogul.’
‘I have noticed that we have a third media mogul by the name of Alexandru Sassu, who is operating under the authority of Mr. Vintu and Mr. Voiculescu and who is compelled to admit as moderators that moderators of those commercial channels.

The newly declared mogul Sassu may do whatever pleases him, but not when he is CEO of the public television channel. This channel should not aim to falsify the truth, as the other two commercial television channels may do, because they are privately owned and carry out the orders of Vintu and Voiculescvu,’ Basescu said at this campaign headquarters.

The election debate that was to be held on Wednesday evening on TVR at 19:30hrs were agreed by the campaigns of the candidates endorsed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Democratic-Liberal Party (PD-L), the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania and independent candidate Sorin Oprescu.
Yet in the afternoon, the campaigns of Basescu, Antonescu and Oprescu announced that their candidates will not attend the TVR debate because TVR announced in the meantime that the debate was extended to seven candidates instead of five, as initially agreed.

The TVR debate at 17:00hrs, local, was attended by candidates Remus Cernea, Ovidiu Iane, Constantin Rotaru and Constantin Ninel Potirca. Independent candidate Eduard Manole, who was also invited, did not show up, but sent a release to the organsiers arguing that the invitation was sent too late and that he cannot agree with what he called the discrimination displayed by TVR management in dividing the candidates as they wish.
TVR, and commercial channels Realitatea TV and Antena 3 on Wednesday concluded an agreement on holding a series of public debates with all the candidates in the presidential election.