CEC and NCRT sign deal on election coverage

TIRANA, Oct. 25 – The Central Election Commission and the National Council of Radio and Television signed Wednesday an agreement for their cooperation on monitoring media coverage during the upcoming local governance elections, expected Dec. 20-Jan. 20. The deal envisages the times and the capacities of the NCRT exploitation to monitor the polls and their bilateral rights on the issue. The NCRT will put at the CEC’s disposal all the required technique and staff and infrastructure needed to monitor the process. That will make it possible to register the digital sound of up to 15 radio and television operators. The NCRT recognizes the CEC as the entitled entity to hold that process which starts at the launch of the electoral campaign until voting day.
Ledio Bianku of the NCRT assured election authorities of the total commitment for a fair coverage so that “Albanians are given the possibility to have an equal concept for the political subjects for which they will vote.”
Clirim Gjata of the CEC said that the agreement was a legal obligation of the Electoral Code. “The agreement envisages the obligation from the CEC to approve the regulation and create a monitoring board of the media, while the NCRT should put at the disposal of this board the infrastructure to monitor the media that will participate in the electoral campaign of the local elections,” said Gjata.