site.btaTV Host Trifonov Says Withdrawal of His Show Is Censorship

TV Host Trifonov Says Withdrawal of His Show Is Censorship

Sofia, March 28 (BTA) - TV show host Slavi Trifonov complained of censorship after his show was withdrawn Monday evening by the management of bTV. He told a news conference on Tuesday that there was nothing out of the lines of the show's standard content, except for an open letter being read out in which he says he will organize protests in front of Parliament if the voting system is not changed quickly in compliance with a recent referendum initiated by him.

bTV issued a statement on the matter said that Trifonov used air time for a personal political campaign.

On Monday Trifonov gave the next National Assembly two weeks to begin working on the adoption of the results of the November 2016 referendum initiated by his team. In the open letter to the future MPs (which is apparently read out in the cancelled show), Trifonov wrote: "Unless you begin working on the matter during your first two weeks, I will go in front of the National Assembly building at the beginning of the third week to stand up for my civil rights." Trifonov further said that if the lawmakers meet the two-week deadline, he will give them two months to enshrine the referendum results in legislation.

The referendum results imply changes in the law so as to have election of national representatives by an absolute majority in a two-round majoritarian system; compulsory voting in elections and referendums; and reducing the annual state subsidy for political parties and coalitions to 1 lev per valid vote received at the last parliamentary elections from 11 leva now.

The show was recorded and after that stopped with a letter of rather informative character from bTV. "This is censorship because I am not violating any law or my contract with bTV," Trifonov declared.

The host said that he is going to record Tuesday the daily episode of the show, at which his open letter will be read again and, if bTV refuse to air it again, he will consult his lawyers about possible termination of the contract with bTV.

Meanwhile, bTV released a statement saying that the channel's success is based on the "solid foundation of unbiased and objective reporting of political processes in both talk shows and news." That is why yesterday they stopped the broadcast of an episode of Slavi's Show where the host made an attempt to use air time for the purposes of a personal political campaign, the media said.

"Honest as his cause may be, bTV cannot and will not accept any deviation from its political neutrality," the opinion states. "Trifonov is free to express his political opinion and to commit to a democratic political movement, and we are ready to give him the opportunity to express his views in our political shows. At the same time we will also present the full plurality of views," the bTV statement goes.