Appeal of media NGOs to Ukraine's presidential candidates regarding the debates

We, representatives of Ukrainian media organizations, are deeply concerned about the situation around the debates between presidential candidates before the second round of Ukrainian presidential elections.

It is impossible to prohibit the meaningless election campaign at the legislative level. But this should not be used customarily by politicians, who are responsible for the country’s development. And given the real security, geopolitical and socio-economic challenges facing Ukraine, such actions cause enormous harm to the whole society.

Therefore, we urge both candidates to take part in TV debates in the studio of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine. It is exactly this kind of debates financed by the state budget is envisaged by Article 62 of the Law “On Elections of the President of Ukraine”. We welcome the show at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium as one of the possible forms of political agitation. However, it cannot replace the official debates with clearly defined rules.

This will be the last chance for the candidates to outline the plans for the future and provide a meaningful presentation of their own vision of the country's development. Any arguments for refusing to participate in official debates will be considered unacceptable for a democratic country.

Signers

The Independent Media Council

Internews Ukraine

Detector Media

Institute of Mass Information (IMI)

Susplinist Foundation

Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law

Ukrainian Foundation for Security Studies

Regional Press Development Institute (RPDI)