The commission held a draw for airtime before the elections to the Moscow City Duma

The Moscow City Election Commission held a draw for airtime for debates between candidates for Moscow City Duma (MGD) deputies, whose elections will be held on September 14 in 45 single-mandate constituencies. Airtime was allocated on the Moscow 24 and Moscow Trust TV channels, and the Moscow FM and Radio Moscow radio stations will also rebroadcast the programs. Candidates in each of the districts will have to meet 24 minutes for all.

Photo: Dmitry Lekai, Kommersant / buy photo

Debates between candidates for the Moscow City Duma will begin on August 18 and end on September 12. As Kommersant expected, there will be a total of 90 programs of 24 minutes each - 45 (according to the number of districts) on Moscow 24 and the same number on the Moscow Trust TV channel. The debates will be shown on weekdays, with the earliest broadcast at 10:00 and the latest at 18:30. The debate will be broadcast live. On the Moscow 24 TV channel, from August 18 to 22, three broadcasts per day are planned - at 13:30, 15:30 and 18:30, from August 25 to September 12 - two broadcasts at 15:30 and 18:30. On the Moscow Trust TV channel, from August 18 to 22 and from September 1 to 12, two broadcasts are planned per day - 10:00 and 11:30, and from August 25 to 29, three broadcasts - at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00.

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As the creative producer of the Moscow 24 TV channel Timur Valeev told Kommersant, the radio stations Moscow FM and Radio Moscow will rebroadcast the sound from the debates on Moscow 24 and on Moscow Trust ( see Kommersant on July 11 ). Timur Valeev also noted that 24 minutes of air time will be allocated for each district, regardless of the number of candidates. In the districts, on average, there are five to seven registered candidates ( see Kommersant, July 22 ). As United Russia reported, its candidates plan to participate in the debates, and oppositionists are also planning to speak at them. Kommersant wrote more about the debate format on July 4 and 11 .

According to Mikhail Petrov, a member of the Moscow City Election Commission, the debate is an attempt to demonstrate the transparency of the elections and the equality of candidates for them. But, since the law does not stipulate the obligation to participate in debates, many candidates will simply refuse them, which is why the debates will lose some of their significance. Let us remember that during the mayoral elections last September, Sergei Sobyanin refused to go on air with his rivals. “Of course, the time that is allocated is too little for debate, but nothing can be done: as much as is allocated, so much will be,” Mr. Petrov told Kommersant.

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