Text of report by the Kyrgyz news agency Kabar on 12th October

Bishkek, 12th October: In conjunction with the Internews Network and the International Foundation for Election Systems, the "Zhurnalisty" [Journalists] public association is implementing a project for independent monitoring of the electronic media.

Monitoring of the election campaign has shown that the candidates for the post of the country's president have continued their election campaign via six regional television channels which were monitored - Osh-TV, Keremet, Piramida-Osh, Osh-3000, Ayan-TV, EMTV and four Regional branches of the KTR [Kyrgyz Television and Radio] state television channel.

Staff of the project for independent monitoring of the electronic media said that four channels - Osh-TV, EMTV, Osh-3000, Piramida-Osh - and also the Chuy and Osh Regional branches of the KTR, mentioned the candidates for the post of head of state in their news programmes. Osh-TV channel has spoken just about one candidate - A. [Askar] Akayev [the incumbent president]. This channel showed a campaign video clip of only one candidate, O. [Omurbek] Tekebayev.

Presidential candidate Melis Eshimkanov participated in television debates on the EMTV channel, and representatives of the media and NGOs have appeared in programmes on the forthcoming elections.

Two Regional branches of the KTR - Osh-3000 and Piramida-Osh - have shown only one candidate, A. Akayev. As has been reported, regional television channels allotted the most airtime to the [incumbent] president and the government in their political news programmes. Presidential candidate Askar Akayev has received more time than other candidates on all channels and has been profiled in an exclusively positive light.

Source: Kabar news agency, Bishkek, in Russian 1415 gmt 12 Oct 00

BBC Mon CAU 121000/** va/ma

Email this article
Posted October 13, 2000 © Eurasianet
http://www.eurasianet.org

	The Central Eurasia Project aims, through its website, meetings, papers, and grants, to foster a more informed debate about the social, political and economic developments of the Caucasus and Central Asia. It is a program of the Open Society Institute-New York. The Open Society Institute-New York is a private operating and grantmaking foundation that promotes the development of open societies around the world by supporting educational, social, and legal reform, and by encouraging alternative approaches to complex and controversial issues. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the position of the Open Society Institute and are the sole responsibility of the author or authors.