WASHINGTON, D.C.—VOA journalist and broadcaster Myroslava Gongadze has been selected to co-host a series of parliamentary election debates on one of Ukraine’s major networks, First National TV.
Ukraine held early presidential elections in May, in the aftermath of the massive Euromaidan protests, and will hold early parliamentary elections on Sunday, October 26. Zurab Alasania, the director of First National and co-moderator of the debates, invited Gongadze to Kyiv to help lead the debates, saying that her participation “will have a great impact” on making the broadcasts a success.
As the long-time host of VOA’s Ukrainian television program Chas Time, Gongadze keeps audiences informed about the latest developments in Ukraine, as well as other top news stories from around the world. Chas Time airs nationally on Channel 5 in evening prime time and has an audience of five million people. In addition to Chas Time, the Ukrainian Service provides special reports to several television stations in Ukraine, including ICTV, First National TV, 1+1 TV.
Speaking about the invitation to co-host the debates, Gongadze said she viewed it “as a recognition of the significance of VOA in Ukraine. This opportunity gives me the chance to serve my native country and build on the already sizeable influence of VOA’s team."
The first in the series of debates will take place Monday, October 13, and the last will be on October 23, three days before parliamentary elections. All will be broadcast at 9:15 pm local time on First National TV.
