Alasania may have been fired for broadcasting Bloc Petro Poroshenko congress — Tymoshenko
Presidential contender Yuliya Tymoshenko, leader of the Batkivschyna party, has said that the recent dismissal of Zurab Alasania from his job as the chairman of the board of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) is no coincidence and is connected with the electoral process.
"According to information that is coming from independent sources, Alasania was fired for not broadcasting the Bloc Petro Poroshenko congress and for the fact that investigative journalists are employed by the channel who can really tell the society at least a little truth," Tymoshenko said at a meeting with editors and journalists of local publications in Poltava, the press service of the Batkivschyna party said on Friday, February 1.
She said the fact that this is happening during the election campaign, and "the fact that this is being done in such a rough way can simply demonstrate that the president will cross all the red lines in order to have himself secured somehow for a second term."
Tymoshenko said the dismissal of Alasania is a glaring example of a violation of freedom of speech, an example of "how to keep journalists and channels on a tight rein."
She said she believes that the president and his entourage are getting ready for election fraud not only by suppressing freedom of speech and usurping television channels but also by other means.
In particular, she recalled that the authorities had increased the voter register by a million people compared to 2014, which contradicts demographic trends. Also known are facts about the massive bribing of voters by the presidential team who enter into agreements with them on payment of UAH 1,000 per person.
At the same time, Tymoshenko said she believes that all these actions will not help Poroshenko to remain in power.