Public discussions bringing together all three candidates in the largest opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential primary on 2 and 23 April will be screened by state broadcaster TVM, the channel’s CEO has confirmed.
It is the first time the 30-year-old TVM, criticised by opposition groups as heavily biased towards government, has screened such events for any party. The debate on 2 April will be shown after the event, probably on 4 April, but the 23 April event will be screened live.
Wednesday’s discussion, co-ordinated by local newspapers Jazeera and Haama Daily with the Maldives Media Association, will have a question-and-answer format. The format for the second debate, hosted by commercial radio station Dhi FM, has not yet been determined.
TVM’s CEO Ali Khalid said: “Following discussions with MDP, today’s debate will be screened unedited,” despite the delay to the broadcast.
All three candidates in the unprecedented primary – former chairperson Mohamed Nasheed (Anni), party president Dr Mohamed Munavvar and Laamu atoll MP Reeko Moosa – have agreed to take part, according to MDP secretary general Hamid Abdul Ghafoor.
TVM came into the spotlight in February when a team led by US consultant Terry Anzur was hired by the Ministry of Information to revamp its coverage ahead of the country’s first multi-party elections.
But the Broadcasting Bill due to make the channel an independent public service broadcaster – a central element of the media reforms promised in the government’s Roadmap for the Reform Agenda – has still not passed a parliamentary vote, after criticism of an initial version from international press freedom watchdog Article 19.
Meanwhile a former TVM employee told Minivan News that until leaving the channel last year, “I always worked against the MDP...if there were things against the government in interviews, we would cut them. We were government servants.”
The MDP has now “lobbied the international community” to secure full coverage from TVM for its activities, according to Hamid.
“We and the candidates wanted Television Maldives exposure – that was a must,” he added. “This campaign [ahead of the presidential elections] must not be lopsided.”
Khalid highlights the fact that the channel covered debates between the campaigns for presidential and parliamentary systems prior to last year’s constitutional referendum.
But one, organised by the Haveeru newspaper, ended in disarray when government ministers walked out after heckling from a hostile crowd, and a second was then cancelled.
Information minister Mohamed Nasheed has now pledged equal coverage for political parties ahead of the presidential elections, expected later this year.
It is the first time the 30-year-old TVM, criticised by opposition groups as heavily biased towards government, has screened such events for any party. The debate on 2 April will be shown after the event, probably on 4 April, but the 23 April event will be screened live.
Wednesday’s discussion, co-ordinated by local newspapers Jazeera and Haama Daily with the Maldives Media Association, will have a question-and-answer format. The format for the second debate, hosted by commercial radio station Dhi FM, has not yet been determined.
TVM’s CEO Ali Khalid said: “Following discussions with MDP, today’s debate will be screened unedited,” despite the delay to the broadcast.
All three candidates in the unprecedented primary – former chairperson Mohamed Nasheed (Anni), party president Dr Mohamed Munavvar and Laamu atoll MP Reeko Moosa – have agreed to take part, according to MDP secretary general Hamid Abdul Ghafoor.
TVM came into the spotlight in February when a team led by US consultant Terry Anzur was hired by the Ministry of Information to revamp its coverage ahead of the country’s first multi-party elections.
But the Broadcasting Bill due to make the channel an independent public service broadcaster – a central element of the media reforms promised in the government’s Roadmap for the Reform Agenda – has still not passed a parliamentary vote, after criticism of an initial version from international press freedom watchdog Article 19.
Meanwhile a former TVM employee told Minivan News that until leaving the channel last year, “I always worked against the MDP...if there were things against the government in interviews, we would cut them. We were government servants.”
The MDP has now “lobbied the international community” to secure full coverage from TVM for its activities, according to Hamid.
“We and the candidates wanted Television Maldives exposure – that was a must,” he added. “This campaign [ahead of the presidential elections] must not be lopsided.”
Khalid highlights the fact that the channel covered debates between the campaigns for presidential and parliamentary systems prior to last year’s constitutional referendum.
But one, organised by the Haveeru newspaper, ended in disarray when government ministers walked out after heckling from a hostile crowd, and a second was then cancelled.
Information minister Mohamed Nasheed has now pledged equal coverage for political parties ahead of the presidential elections, expected later this year.
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