Antonio Milososki, head of the observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for Belarus` September 18-23 House of Representatives elections, on Thursday in Minsk met with Henadz Davydzka, head of the Belarusian State Television and Radio Company.
For the first time, the parliamentary candidates in Belarus have the opportunity to participate in a television debate, Mr. Davydzka noted, according to press office of state television network Belarus One.
In addition, television and radio addresses by parliamentary candidates in Minsk are broadcast by television network Belarus Two and radio station Stalitsa, he said.
According to Mr. Milososki, the OSCE/ODIHR mission is about to finish work on its interim report on the parliamentary election campaign in Belarus. The report will deal with the media coverage of the campaign, among other issues, he said.
Mr. Davydzka expressed hope that the mission`s assessment of the parliamentary elections would be fair and unbiased.
Each parliamentary candidate in Belarus is entitled to one free appearance on television, one free address on the radio and an opportunity to participate in a television debate. On each occasion, the candidate is not allowed to speak for more than five minutes.
Neither the addresses nor the debates are broadcast live.
Dozens of television addresses have been barred from airwaves this year because of calls for an election boycott and criticism of the current government.
