Andrei Zapșa and Sergiu Sandulescu have been admitted to the next stage of the competition for the post of Director-General of the public broadcaster “Teleradio-Moldova” (TRM). The decisions concerning the two candidates were taken by the Supervisory Board at its meeting on 2 September, which took place behind closed doors. The candidates were interviewed regarding the issues raised in a report by the Information and Security Service (SIS), which recommended their exclusion from the competition.
During the meeting on 2 September, Andrei Zapșa and Sergiu Sandulescu were given the opportunity to provide explanations regarding the issues of incompatibility raised by the SIS. The Chair of the Supervisory Board of Teleradio-Moldova, Arcadie Gherasim, told Europa Liberă that, in both cases, consideration was given both to the risks raised by the SIS and to “the candidates’ arguments and counter-arguments”. The source states that six of the seven members of the Board voted in favour of Andrei Zapșa’s appointment, whilst five votes were cast in favour of Sergiu Sandulescu. “Some members of the Council considered that the information (from the SIS, ed.) was not sufficiently explicit,” Gherasim added, but noted that it could be important “for the Council members’ subsequent decisions”.
Meanwhile, Arcadie Gherasim told Media Azi that the interviews are scheduled for 22 September. However, the date is yet to be officially confirmed by a decision, which is due to be announced on 7 September. The interviews will be video-recorded and subsequently published on TRM’s official channels.
Four candidates are set to take part in the interview stage: Dorin Scobioală, Ecaterina Cheptanaru, Sergiu Sandulescu and Andrei Zapșa.
The interview stage had previously been postponed after the Information and Security Service (SIS) requested that further checks be carried out on the candidates entered in the competition. The SIS’s request was made against the backdrop of intensifying hybrid threats targeting the Republic of Moldova’s information space.
The post of Director-General of TRM has been vacant since Vlad Țurcanu’s resignation in May, which was announced against the backdrop of controversies surrounding the Republic of Moldova’s jury vote in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.